The Keys of the Kingdom

I do not try to hide my admiration for A.J. Cronin. He writes beautiful, sensitive prose with even more sensitive characters. As a rule, his characters face hardship in 1920’s England with a Man versus Society and Man versus Himself conflicts. Probably his two best known works are The Keys of the Kingdom and Sing a Song of Sixpence/Pocket Full of Rye sets. The former was made into a movie starring Gregory Peck, so no surprise there that it has weathered better than others. It is this book that I wish to highlight.

It is the biography of a fictional Scotsman, from age ten to retirement, who becomes orphaned. He suffers through selfish relatives, falls in love with a childhood friend, but eventually becomes a priest whose work is characterized with conflict with superiors. He struggles with feelings of inadequacy, quietly rails against rampant hypocrisy, but has a way of making his points felt all too well. The bishop, a friend of his, sends him to a very rundown mission in China.

Although the priest’s theology is sometimes a little shaky, or easily misunderstood even by the orthodox, I still find it a thoughtful book. It is a good read for people who feel that they are inadequate, which should cover most of us in some area or another. This is not a touchy-feely wishy-washy book. It is not It’s a Wonderful Life nostalgia. (I would argue that It’s a Wonderful Life is actually a very challenging movie. See this enlightening article, but most people just say, “Hurray! Everyone makes a difference!” without really evaluating whether they personally are trying to make a difference.)

If this book is enjoyed, try A Thing of Beauty,(about an artist) Sing a Song of Sixpence, then Pocketful of Rye, (about a doctor) and Beyond this Place, which is based on a true and rather incredible story of a son proving his imprisoned father’s innocence. Also The Northern Light which is about an owner of a newspaper. DO NOT try Judas Tree or Desmond. The former my brother tried and has dissuaded me from me; the latter I read and found alternately saddening, then disgusting, then tragic because the real people involved, most of all the author himself, missed some major learning points. One should be safe with The Keys of the Kingdom.