The Fairest of Dreams by Michael Mitton
Rev. Douglas Romer has not only to cope with the immeasurable grief of losing his ever-so-dear Irish wife, but also with the growing fear that the person who ordered her assassination might be within his personal circle of acquaintances, and now after his life. What’s more, he’s about to meet his ex-father-in-law, who also bears a strong animosity towards him.
Douglas settles in a temporary home – a simple but cozy guest house in Dingle, run by the caring Elsie – hoping for a quiet life among friends, while he tries to sort out his feelings, his faith and his future. The angelic Dorchadas pops up now and then to counsel him or to take him travelling – ‘deep memory’, he calls it – to some very real historic situation. Each time, they meet someone who brings a brand-new perspective to Douglas’ inner turmoil.
But the tension rises. The story culminates in a wild car chase on icy roads and a catastrophic pileup. The critically injured bodies of those involved – an unlikely assemblage of friends and enemies – end up together in hospital. But their spirits venture on another journey through time to an incredibly dramatic scene. Each one of them experiences a life-changing encounter, which they recount to each other under the loving guidance of the somewhat befuddled Father Pat.
Mitton writes vivid, masterly prose and, although written in a light-hearted tone, this second volume of his Dorchadas trilogy is a deep book. Dramatic, yet realistic incidents, coupled with a supernatural element, explore issues of guilt, personal failure and brokenness but, above all, forgiveness and reconciliation.
An entry in Douglas’ occasional journal sums up the message of the book: “I am discovering a much kinder God – more mysterious, and more surprising. Very unpredictable. Impossible to second guess. Not a God I can control. And it seems, not a God who wants to control me. I think it is a God who wants simply to be a friend.”