Like a lazy Sunday afternoon is to a long work week, so picking up a popcorn novel is to trudging through dense, intellectual books. The reader wants something succinct, fresh and satisfying to clear the brain. It was with this intent that I bought Ted Dekker’s Sinner, published one year ago this month.
The prolific Dekker is renowned among Christian authors for his engaging, sometimes alarming fiction plots that keep readers on the edge of their seats, as well as for his wide fan base. He has written several best-selling series and has seen two of his thrillers (Thr3e in 2006 and House in 2008) made into films.
Sinner completes Dekker’s three-part Paradise series, in which each book connects to the others but can stand alone. The book seems to be relatively unfamiliar to the reading public, based on conversations I’ve had with a few self-proclaimed Dekker fans. That surprised me. I was equally surprised by the fact that Barnes and Noble oh-so-temptingly marked down the book to $5.95. Attractive hardcover, popular fiction author...and dramatic price drop. Was no one reading Sinner?
The premise — a nation-shaping battle between good and evil involving four characters imbued with special powers — lured me. I was interested in seeing how Dekker fused modern Christian concerns with his sensational storytelling. I paid the six bucks and settled down for a relatively quick read.
I was pleased at how naturally Sinner establishes its world and characters. Granted, the book is set in modern America, so the modern American reader requires no orientation in culture beyond learning of the socio-political changes that comprise the source of conflict. Dekker does a credible job of taking current evangelical fears about the dangers of pluralism and turning them into a frightening reality: the suppression and indictment of free speech in the name of “tolerance.”
In addition, even though I haven’t read the preceding books, Showdown and Saint, I had no problem getting to know the basic personality and background of protagonists Billy Rediger and Darcy Lange. I appreciate recapping skills in an author.
Article comments
1 - Anonymous
I just have to wonder if you've ever written a book.
2 - jj
the books by ted dekker are awsome i love them
3 - Annie
I love Ted Dekker's books and I have read Sinner and loved it.
4 - Amanda
As an agnostic I often tend to read overly religious (admittedly mainly christian novels) as an abstract way of veiwing the extremes of people's beleif systems. Most of the time it helps keep me on my toes about my own beleifs and keeps me questioning myself. However this book by Dekker left me frustrated and exhausted frankly. I am ashamed to admit that I only got half way through before I threw up my hands and had to take a break for a day or two. Usually I find deeply religious novels interesting, but this was just too much. Black and white, with no appreciation for the grey and not much else. I wanted to like his characters, I really did. But they were so two dimensional, I found myself more exasperated rather than anything else. I was especially dissapointed in Kat and Darcy's characters. I was intruiged by them in the beggining but as the book went on they stopped being those characters and suddenly became hollow representations of the books not so well veiled agenda. And the plot itself was as see-through as glass. Saw the end coming a mile away. Honeslty I spent most of the book waiting for it to be over, as harsh a judgement as that is. Overall I was steadily dissapointed. The idea of it was certainly something to be explored, but the execution wasn't worth it's weight in pages. In the future I'm sure I'll try to read some of Dekker's more widely praised novels, just to give the man a second chance, but I am doubtfull I will be impressed.
5 - Jaimie Krycho
Anonymous, yes, I have written a book. I'm in the process of editing out such mistakes as I run across them.
Amanda, thanks for your feedback. If you want to share your reviews and read more of mine, why don't you hit me up on Goodreads.com? I'm not writing for Blogcritics anymore but I update there frequently.