Till We Have Faces

I reread Till We Have Faces every few years and learn something new from it each time. I suppose I'm partial to unreliable narrators because the protagonist is extremely self-deceived through most of the story, and Lewis deftly lets the reader see it in time. The world is dark and rich and evocative, and the lessons learned are invaluable.

Lewis is mostly known by children for The Chronicles of Narnia and by adults for his brilliant essays on Christianity. Till We Have Faces is what I would consider his most captivating work of fiction for adults. It is, most of all, the story of a bitter, ugly woman, a type of heroine we rarely encounter in literature. Orual, the eldest of three sisters and very protective of the youngest, is heartbroken when her beloved Istra is sent out to the mountain as a human sacrifice to a mysterious entity feared by her people. A highly symbolic tale, Lewis’ creative… show more.

I remember reading that Lewis considered Till We Have Faces his crowning achievement in fiction, a book he published the same year he married Joy Davidman, only seven years before his death. My college roommate recommended the book, saying that he quit reading it about 3 chapters before the end because he was fed up. When I finished it (including the last 3 chapters), I told him he was an idiot. He knew it, cause the last chapters explain the metaphor that is the rest of the book. Till We Have Faces is the most beautiful depiction of faith in God and… show more.