SHADOWLANDS AND SONGS OF LIGHT:
An Epic Journey into Joy and Healing
By Kevin Ott
BroadStreet. 252 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 424 552 917
This is a most unusual book, designed to help Christians who, like this reviewer, are struggling with the grief of bereavement.
Its American author is an online editor, writer, music critic and worship leader who has a passion for the writings of C.S. Lewis and the Irish rock band, U2. The book tells the story of the author’s journey from numb grief and faith-deadening bewilderment at the sudden death of his godly mother to a deeper relationship with the living God. It highlights the vital part played by the writings of Lewis and the music of U2.
Ott is a serious, thinking Christian, and certainly has helpful insights for others suffering bereavement. It is movingly written and is never superficial, though this reviewer struggled to understand some of its thought. Ott suggests plenty of Bible passages to study, offers rich, thoughtful prayers, maps out some key locations on the journey of healing after loss and even provides a playlist of U2 tracks to follow in that quest.
The big problem with the book is its near reverence both for the writings of Lewis and the music of U2. While I have enjoyed reading Lewis and benefitted from him, I did not find all the quotes from Lewis to be either as self-evidently clear or as helpful as Ott does. Nor has the music of U2 made the impact on me that it has on Ott. Hence I found his lengthy, technical and eulogistic explanations of the finer points of the composition of individual U2 tracks extremely wearing. I’m not sure that would have been much different even if I had shared his enthusiasm for U2.
Sadly, for the reasons just given, the book is likely to prove inaccessible to most general readers. However, if you have the same passions as the author, and can overlook a few strange comments – like the description of the glorious Reformation as a ‘Black Swan moment’ – you may well find this a very stimulating and helpful read.
