In a word? Epic.
By Kathryn Bell / Spinebreakers Crew
I'm always wary using the phrase “tour-de-force” when it comes to novels, but with The Left Hand Of God it's one of the first things to come to mind. A brilliant and, above all, expertly crafted tale that's truly captivating to read. It's a book that doesn't guide you but literally pulls you, unapologetic in it's fearlessness, through a world of such depth, detail and emotional reality that it will ring in your mind for days after.
It is, of course, a teenage book but something about the way Paul Hoffman treats the reader makes it feel more adult. The subject matter and boundaries, or lack thereof, were something I really admired and it has a kind of respect for the maturity for the audience that few teenage writers can show.
The characters within The Left Hand Of God are so deep and well-written that they feel, for lack of a better phrase, like the most real of people. They all have such different opinions and views on the world that it makes for brilliant and very thoughtful dialogue and you really get the feeling they were thrown together by circumstance.
Religion is a huge motivator in the book and a brave one at that. The parallels with recognisable ideas in our world make it easier to follow and in some ways slightly more disturbing. The big theme of death and, more specifically, murder are heavy but exciting topics. It's probably got one of the highest death tolls I've read in recent years! It's the undercurrents of black humour that stop it taking itself too seriously and keep the reader at ease.
A really brilliant book that has to be read for it's sheer scope and unapologetic attitude to be believed. In a word? Epic.