A review by msjoanna
Acts of Faith by Philip Caputo
4.0
At nearly 700 pages, this novel is a hefty read. But it's worth the effort for the rich characters and the musing on the outcome of deeply held convictions (the "faith" of the title), be they religious, altruistic, or romantic. The author turns too often to odd-couple romantic pairings, but I was willing to forgive the overuse of this plot device because I found the characters so interesting.
This book covers, in graphic detail, war in the Sudan, including the aftermath of bombings, hand-to-hand combat scenes, and, with perhaps more detail than was necessary, the inner workings of an airline involved in aid flights. The flawed characters include the leader of an Arab tribe, a SPLA leader, the owner of the small airline, an employee of the airline, a few pilots, aid workers, priests, and others. By shifting perspectives among several main characters, the author manages to tell a comprehensive story about the moral grey areas involved in trying to do the right thing.
Defintely a good read, and an interesting parallel to [b:What is the What|1097|Fast Food Nation|Eric Schlosser|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157830973s/1097.jpg|2207547].
As an aside, there is a character from Texas who uses the word "y'all" in a way that annoyed me (and occasionally confused me) throughout the book. Y'all is a conjunction of "you all" and is a Texan (Southern) slang for the plural "you," which proper English insists is the same as singular "you." In this book, the Texan, Wes Dare, uses "y'all" as a replacement for singular "you," which is wrong and confusing.
This book covers, in graphic detail, war in the Sudan, including the aftermath of bombings, hand-to-hand combat scenes, and, with perhaps more detail than was necessary, the inner workings of an airline involved in aid flights. The flawed characters include the leader of an Arab tribe, a SPLA leader, the owner of the small airline, an employee of the airline, a few pilots, aid workers, priests, and others. By shifting perspectives among several main characters, the author manages to tell a comprehensive story about the moral grey areas involved in trying to do the right thing.
Defintely a good read, and an interesting parallel to [b:What is the What|1097|Fast Food Nation|Eric Schlosser|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157830973s/1097.jpg|2207547].
As an aside, there is a character from Texas who uses the word "y'all" in a way that annoyed me (and occasionally confused me) throughout the book. Y'all is a conjunction of "you all" and is a Texan (Southern) slang for the plural "you," which proper English insists is the same as singular "you." In this book, the Texan, Wes Dare, uses "y'all" as a replacement for singular "you," which is wrong and confusing.