Clear Winter Nights: A Review

Twenty two year old Chris Walker is sure he's in his "dark night of the soul." He's broken off his engagement, stepped back from a church plant, is wrestling with painful secrets about his father, and is debating whether he should just abandon his Christian faith. Then he goes to spend a weekend with Granddad Gil, a retired pastor, and the conversations start. Trevin Wax's novel is aptly named: Clear Winter Nights: A Journey Into Truth, Doubt, and Whatever Comes After.

This is the first work of fiction I've reviewed on jaquelle.ca, and I think it's an appropriate start. I have read a lot of fiction before, but Wax's novel was unlike any other story I've ever read. That's because of its description. Wax himself called it, "Theology in Story." In an interview with Amazon, he said,

I'm being up front about the purpose of the story - to teach. Readers who pick up this book will learn something from the characters and their questions and conversations. It's not just a theology book, because this is a narrative about two people engaging the big questions of life. Neither is it just a fiction book, because there are certainly some theological teachings that come through in the dialogue. It's both - theology in story.

But the purpose is not just to entertain, and that's where Wax veers off the traditional novel path. The description of Clear Winter Nights could also be "Conversations about Theology," for that's what most of the book is. The back cover says,

What happens when a young Christian dealing with disillusionment and doubt spends a weekend with an elderly, retired pastor? They talk. And no subject is off limits.

They talk about what every disillusioned, doubting Christian (or non-Christian for that matter) wants to know. Is truth relative? What about homosexuality? Why is Christianity so exclusive? Forgiveness. Evangelism. Hate. Love. Sin. Grace. I found it beautifully refreshing to see a story about theology with theology, not the story, as the centerpiece. If I had to find one fault with this book, it would be that the plot (the story) lacked a little. It seemed to fizzle out at the end, but maybe that's how Wax wanted it - no wam-bam finish, just a quiet one.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to a doubting or struggling Christian (or non-Christian) who enjoys fiction. There is enough narrative to make you feel like you're not reading a theology book, but enough theology to make this unlike any other fiction book you've read. I enjoyed both Gil's and Chris' distinctive voices, their parallel perspectives and individual fears, doubts, and beliefs. I feel like I have grown through reading Clear Winter Nights, and I think you will too.

Buy Clear Winter Nights here