The Great Divorce – C. S. Lewis

Title: The Great Divorce

Author: C. S. Lewis

I’m not quite sure what I had in mind when I picked this book up, but a full length analogical story definitely was not in my mind when I started. But that really didn’t matter, because that’s exactly what Lewis wrote in “The Great Divorce”.

In it, Lewis used a rather interesting vision of what heaven and hell are (not) like. I say “(not) like” because Lewis admits in his introduction that this was intended from the first to be a moral story, not an exploration of what might be. He explains his purpose in a clarity that only a writer of his caliber can explain – and I highly recommend reading the introduction, because it is short and simple, but sharply insightful.

The great divorce which Lewis is writing about is that great separation between Heaven and Hell. To me, it seems, the primary concern is with personal priorities and values. How much value do you place in your children, your friends, your personal opinions and soapboxes thereof? Lewis deftly and surgically dissects these and exposes their inherent danger.

I fear to attempt to explain much more for two simple reasons. I think my explanations will confuse more than intrigue, for I don’t quite have the talent of Lewis for simplicity. And secondly, I would rather you approach this book with an open mind and experience an allegorical journey which is even more piercing for yourself than the title character, one which is written by a master of the genre.

So yes, I absolutely recommend this book. To everyone. It challenges you to think. I recommend it for teenagers as well as for adults. It would be a great book to read through with your children. Just get your hands on a copy and dive in!

Additional links:
Wikipedia article on The Great Divorce.