ashthomas//blog: Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow

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Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell starts off slowly, with the chapters alternating between the near future and a future about 40 years after that. The two timelines are connected by the common character of Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit priest who has specialised in linguistics. From what we gather from the first few chapters, he is the sole survivor of what had started as a very hopeful journey of discovery to a new world, and that ended in death and misery.

At first I thought the book was simply a veiled retelling of the excursions of the Society of Jesus into the New World of South America five hundred years ago. As the author herself has recently stated, she wanted to explore the political and philosophical questions of humanity (or at least Western Civilization) coming into contact with an entirely new and unknown society and culture. Who would a modern-day Jesuit missionary react when confronted with this challenge. Of course, given the lack of unexplored lands in the modern world, Mary Doria Russell chose to set the story on a newly discovered planet in a close-by solar system.

But it is more than a science fiction tale of first contact, for the mission (the word's double meaning is played upon a few times) is sent not by a government or a corporation, but a religious order. This allows Russell to delve into issues of a theological nature. At first, the main question for the priests is that of humanity's place in God's eyes given the existence of other sentient races. The priests grapple with the problems of whether there is anything special about man, or is he simply one of a myriad of God's creations.

However as the missionaries experiences move from idyllic towards the nightmarish, with the bigger questions of theodicy becoming the predominant theme. How can evil exist, or how can bad things happen to good people, if God is good? Sandoz, reluctantly telling his story to the Jesuits back on Earth, questions his faith and the worth of his life. He is a man whose very identity has been shaken and is not sure of anything any more.

This is a rare book that trangresses its genre-label. Indeed, it is a shining example of the sort of thoughtful, intelligent and engaging literature that can be produced out of a science fiction or fantasy storyline.

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