Review: "The Point: The Redemption of Oban Ironbout"

Hollie had just discovered that she had kidney disease, so she and her husband, Goodwin, decided to take a trip they had always wanted to take – a month long vacation to the Isle of Estillyen where they would participate in twelve centering readings.  The monks of the Isle would gather the visitors together for a reading of Scripture, with commentary, including the participation of the visitors.  Then, the visitors were given time to reflect and discuss.

Goodwin’s grandfather had often gone to Estillyen many years earlier and had befriended a young couple who lived on the point of the Isle.  Goodwin had drawn a picture from a snapshot his grandfather had taken and wanted to show it to the hermit of the point and see the place for himself.

Do words have power?  Do words associated with the divine have a special power?  Can meditating on the words of the Scripture and thinking them out affect oneself and others?

William E. Jefferson has written quite a powerful tale in The Point:  The Redemption of Oban Ironbout (originally titled, Messages from Estillyen).  Jefferson writes in a Bunyanesque style – characters like Mr. Kind and Brother Plot.  One could read this book as a story about a man who needed to be redeemed.  One could read it as a couple who needed assurance.  One could read it as a way to consider and profit by the Holy Word.  Or all of the above.  It is also a book which challenges the reader to consider how he has read – if he has taken the time to value the words being read, rather than just riding roughshod over them.

The style of writing might take a little bit to get into, but take the time.  This is a worthwhile and thought-provoking novel.

[This review appears on my blog and at Amazon.com.  I received a copy of this book free from Handlebar Publishing for review.]