Book Review: THE HEART OF THE MATTER by Graham Greene

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"How can one love God at the expense of one of His creatures?"

I read another of Greene's "great Catholic novels" on the day that Catholics on my feed are rejoicing at the decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. To those exulting in this chillingly backward move, I would recommend more of Graham Greene's brand of understanding and forgiveness, and less of the pulpit thumping and judgment. In the words of the priest in this novel: "For goodness' sake, don't imagine you - or I - know a thing about God's mercy."

THE HEART OF THE MATTER (1948) can be incompletely described as the sum of THE END OF THE AFFAIR (1951) + THE QUIET AMERICAN (1955), but of course it defies rigid categorization and simplistic summaries. As should human laws in the face of human agony.

Greene isn't afraid to ask the most difficult questions about the Ten Commandments, making us question our Sunday school lessons. In this novel, he brings us to British Sierra Leone during World War II, and shows the perils of loneliness amongst married couples, as well as the difficulty of trying to stay honorable while surrounded by all kinds of moral and professional corruption.

To read Graham Greene is scour one's soul. And while I believe in the democratic right of literature for all, I think Catholics would have a greater appreciation for the torment of the protagonist. A Catholic formed conscience (and its companion: guilt), in Graham Greene's hands, becomes both damnation and saving grace. He shows both the weaknesses and the strengths of Catholicism, writing as one who has been both outsider and convert, and advocates for both sinner and saint so effectively ALL UNDER 250 pages!! This former spy is truly a master at portraying human nature!

Warning: Don't read the introduction by James Wood at the start, as it gives away absolutely everything, in an overly simplified way, and rather badly.

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