Reviews of Mission
by Philip Spires

Mission

A review by Timothy Harman

(listed on amazon sites)

 

This is a beautifully crafted book, rich in sensuous language evoking a flavour of Africa. The structure of the book is most unusual, with events, past and present, revolving around one particular episode. It is a story that holds you, envelops you, until the very last page. The characterisation is truly masterful. The plot intriguing. This is not a light, something and nothing, beach read, it has a depth and atmosphere that only a truly talented author can create. It is a classic and it is certainly one of my all time favourite books. I shall be most disappointed if this book doesn't win one of the prizes for literature.

 

***********************************

A review of Mission, by Cao Thac, Australia

 

Budget airlines have made travelling far easier in recent years and many of us have enjoyed holidays in exotic places: on safaris in East Africa, trekking through Nepal, cruising the Amazon. However, after putting away the souvenirs and sorting out the snap shots, we often feel that there is something amiss. Yes, the animals are great, the local markets colourful and some of the foods quite exquisite. But do we get to know anything of the local people?  We exchange a few words with them, engage in bargaining over prices, and laugh over misunderstandings, but we know nothing of their hopes and aspirations. Sometimes, we may have serious conversations in bars or restaurants with some locals that are fluent in our language or with some expatriates working in the country. Unfortunately, even these conversations may be just stereo-types: the country is utterly corrupted, the government is hopelessly incompetent; the people have not moved from the Middle Ages, etc.

Mission, by Philip Spires, offers an armchair exploration of the locals and foreign workers in a poor village in Kenya. Through their stories, we get to know their hopes and aspirations, their dilemmas, the circumstances that force them to act the way they do and, ultimately, their humanity. The book begins with a car accident in which the village drunk, a character nobody liked much, got killed. However, the day of the accident proves to be fateful for the major characters of the book. Like Kurosawa’s movie Rashomon, each of the major characters – a Catholic priest who cares more about the welfare of the people in this life than for their souls in the next life, an earnest young Kenyan who wants to become a Catholic priest, a couple of local entrepreneurs who cleverly exploit the business and political opportunities in Kenya just after it gained independence etc – tells their hopes and ambitions, their circumstances and their dilemmas. The car accident at the beginning of the book turns out to be the denouement for the major characters.

 The book is only published recently but has been incubated by Philip over many years while he spent time in Kenya, London, Brunei and the United Arab Emirates. While his portrayal of Kenya and London is quite vivid, we also recognise the basic humanity of the characters in the book.  It is comforting to know that while we face different circumstances, we are basically the same round the world. This is a message we need to remind ourselves constantly as tribal and sectarian conflicts exploded in recent years.

*********************************** 
...and another summary from Philip Spires

Mission is set in mid-1970s Kenya. Five characters, a priest, a politician, a teacher, a school graduate and a retired army officer see a series of events from their own perspectives and thus respond differently to one particular event. The central chapter is thirty years later and is set in London to offer a perspective on how lives change. The novel deals with the concept of identity, seen through filters of poverty, religion, politics and, underpinning everything, an idea of justice, a continuum within which each character is seen to pursue some personal mission.

Michael, a missionary priest in Kenya, has just killed Munyasya, a retired army officer. It might have been an accident, but Mulonzya, a politician resentful of the power of foreign churches, tries to exploit the tragedy for his own ends. Boniface, a young church worker, and his wife, Josephine, have just lost their child. They did not make it to the hospital in time, possibly because Michael made a detour to retrieve a letter from the Mission, a letter from Janet, a former volunteer teacher who was the priest’s neighbour for two years. It is Munyasya who has the last laugh, however, when he reveals that he was probably in control of events all along. Thirty years on, the same characters find their lives still influenced by his memory.

The novel deals with complex themes and relationships through a style which aims to achieve a simplicity which will allow the reader to feel the depth of the inter-relationships between the characters. Influenced by religion, politics and global events, each of the five main actors in Mission weighs idealism against selfishness, altruism against self-interest and cultural identity against relativism. The book asks questions. It may even suggest answers, but on each re-reading a new nuance will clarify into sharper focus. It is, I hope, a rich experience.

Philip Spires is British, born in 1952 in Wakefield and spent his first ten years in Sharlston, then a mining village, followed by eight in Crofton, a mile nearer Wakefield. He went to London University, where he obtained a BSc from Imperial College and a PGCE from King's. After two years as a VSO in Kenya, he taught in London for 16 years and devoted much of his spare time to assisting an NGO concerned with development and human rights. After completing an MA in 1992, he worked in Brunei technical education until 1999.  He then worked in Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates for three years. Since 2003, he has lived in Spain, and has completed a PhD in education’s role in Philippine development and his first published novel, Mission.

************************************************

 

...and here are some more reviews by Philip Spires

Restless by William Boyd

El Gato con Botas by Xavier Montsalvatge

Arthur and George by Julian Barnes

An original piece, Jogging with Salad

England England, Losing Nelson and a couple of trips to Chester

Read articles on Philip Spires's blog

footer image

Home

 

Join the Click4Click Banner Exchange!

Max Linkks Literature
 Linkcentre Directory and Search Engine

 Published.Com a Free directory listing service for authors

 URLZ Web Directory

free-press-release-centre

freepressreleases.co.uk

pr.com press release for Mission, a book by Philip Spires

 WordPress EgoTick Me! Blogger/BlogSpot EgoTick Me! TypePad/MoveableType EgoTick Me!

Alaska Fishing

Exhilarating Alaska fishing charters for trophy salmon, halibut and giant lingcod. Master Guide Steve Zernia gives all out effort. Experience heart-pounding sportfishing action

 

NFL Football Helmets

Where America shops for sports collectibles and sports memorabilia including NFL, NCAA, MLB merchandise. We have a vast selection of 20,000 products.

 W3 Directory - the World Wide Web Directory

 

Mission by Philip Spires