For the past week, I’ve been wondering what to say about Foreigner
by C. J. Cherryh. The novel took me
awhile to read, and at times my interest lagged. But the novel is one of her most famous, and
kicks off a multivolume series. Knowing
this spurred me on when the pace slackened, and the plot seemed to be revolving in circles rather than marching toward a worthy goal.
I’m glad I persevered. For, deep into the story, everything in Bren Cameron’s world was overturned. In a moment of realization,
his worldview is transformed. The unexpected has occurred,
and he must scramble to adjust to this new reality. If Bren is to survive this moment of crisis, and
prove useful to his friends and his world in the future, he must draw upon all
his wits and resolve. It
doesn’t help that this occurs when his physical strength is at its
weakest.
For a number of years, I kept in touch with a man who had
left our church. We got together for
dinner every month or so, and caught up on what was going on in our lives. At a certain point though, I began to realize
that as much as I looked forward to our evenings together, I was coming home
exhausted, feeling as if I had been beaten up.
Somehow, our easy-going dialogue had descended into diatribes. No matter where the conversation started,
somehow we ended up on the subject of the Catholic Church, how he believed that
the denomination had a superior view of marriage to that of Protestant churches
(such as we both belonged to), and that if he and his wife were to divorce, he
would never remarry. Regardless of how I
countered his arguments, he stuck firm to his opinions, and stated repeatedly,
and categorically, that he was right and I was wrong.
I don’t know why, but it simply never occurred to me that
his marriage could be in trouble. Even when, at one point, he mentioned that
they were seeing a marriage counselor, and then added that there were no
insurmountable problems between them, it never occurred to me that they might
divorce. Sadly, one evening he told me
that the unthinkable had occurred, and that their marriage was suddenly, and
irretrievably over. What had been going
on between them, unobserved by me, had transformed their lives. In an instant, my worldview changed,
as I learned that something I had always counted on was forever sundered.
A less capable author than C. J. Cherryh could not have
pulled off this moment of transformation effectively. She might have lost her readership, as no one
enjoys being tricked. But C. J. Cherryh had built the proper
background into her story, so when events transform Bren Cameron’s worldview in
an instant, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I felt more in tune with him
than ever before. For I knew what it was
to have my perceptions transformed in an instant, and to scramble to stay
relevant in my friend’s life.
I look forward to reading Invader, the next volume in
her long-running series, and learning how Bret Cameron strives to prove useful
to his friends, and his world, as the changes initiated by this unexpected
transformation ripple through all sectors of society. Oh, and if you’re wondering about my friend,
well, while he did get divorced, he also followed his inclinations and joined the Catholic Church.
There he learned of something called annulments, and met a pretty
girl. As to what followed, and the
subsequent transformation he underwent…well, I think you can guess, can’t you?
Related Dragon Cache entries
Related Internet Links
Shejidan: Fan site based on the Foreigner series
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