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Summary: The love of self is, in truth, the love of nothing.
Review: This was a difficult book for me, personally, in as much as I could look back over my own life and identify far too closely with Dr. Paul Faber, I formed an immediate dislike of the man. Indeed, he was, in the eyes of the world, a very good man. He was kind, compassionate, caring, and charitable. He was among the first to assist those in need, to give freely to the poor. Yet, Faber, not unlike the Pharisee at his prayers, saw himself as the very font or source of this goodness, and it was his smug self-assuredness and self-satisfaction that alienated me. The woman whom he chose to marry was, in my estimation, little better. She was shallow and vain and, like Faber, prone to self-pity, although deeply in love with and devoted to Faber. Of course, when two such individuals marry there is bound to occur difficulty. They are each so entranced with their own self-perceived purity, excellence, and divinity-both of themselves and one another-that there exists no option but the inevitable fall from grace. They place one another on towering marble pedestals from which the inescapable fall becomes all the more inglorious, painful, and, forgiveness, virtually impossible. It is the dwarf (my favorite character), Polwarth, who stands tall as a shining beacon of light. It is Polwarth, ill-formed and asthmatic, who loves his God above all else and lives this love through his service to others. It is Polwarth who, with subtlety, humility, and self-effacing kindness, leads Faber and Juliet toward the true source of all goodness. Whether they will follow is, of course, their decision, for many who have seen the light prefer the darkness. Will you follow Polwarth, or will pride and self guide you further into the darkness?
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