Into the Fire

Most serious readers of Christian Fiction recognize the name of Athol Dickson, associating him with an uncanny four nominations for a Christy Award and winner of the award twice for River Rising and The Cure. Other novels include They Shall See God and Winter Haven plus a memoir titled The Gospel According to Moses. His current novel Lost Mission, published by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, became available to me through a promotion on agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog post with the author.

Lost Mission presents a calculated risk by literary writer Athol Dickson. Told in a roaming omniscient point of view mixed with traditional third person POV, reading this story is like listening to a translation of an epic tale on the knee of an old relative whose native language is not English. With heavy emphasis on both old and newer practices within the Spanish Catholic church, the story weaves back and forth with little separation between the 18th century Alta California and present-day southern California and brief inclusions of small-town Mexico. Even with Athol Dickson’s picturesque writing, the consistent tone of the story sometimes makes it difficult to stay focused. This could very well be because of my general dislike for historical novels, not because of the story or the writing itself. It’s a long novel for Athol Dickson and the author insinuates its first draft consisted of even more rambling.

A naïve but devout young woman decides through a series of what she determines to be prophetic events to venture over the Mexican border into America to save the heathens who live here. As most illegal immigrants do, she risks her life to gain access to this country not for the wealth and opportunity it offers but on a mission of salvation for the innumerable lost souls. Her only real possession of value is an ancient unfinished but miraculous three-sectioned painting kept in its sacred location by the priest of the church in her town and passed along to her because of the prophetic mission she knows she must make. Meeting another fellow sojourner along the way, she agrees to follow the group of Mexicans attempting a border crossing at a distance. In the heat of the desert she becomes separated from them and clutching her icon she continues until her water is gone and she can no longer travel. She experiences a brief vision of a man with shining black hair, but it is a young American who rescues her and nurses her back to health. He is as naïve and devout in his Protestant faith as she is in hers and together they begin Sanctuario which ministers to a community of mostly illegal immigrants.

As time passes and they share the teaching of each other’s language and ministry, the young woman “Lupe” fights her feelings for the young minister “Tucker” and leaves to continue her mission to the lost Americans. Several miles away in an affluent beachside town she attempts to reach the people she passes, but they ignore her.

Interspersed and intersecting with past and present lives from an original Spanish Mission, we meet its founders and their connection to the characters in the modern day location. Lupe’s life encounters many strange occurrences as she examines her mission and fears its abject failure. The years move along, she preaches every Sunday morning at the beach to no interested listeners, and her rich employer and his daughter treat her as a member of their family until tragedy, prejudice, fear, and vengeance interfere with several of the characters’ views and actions. The man with the shining hair and the three-sided painted icon weave their presence into climactic moments throughout the story. The simultaneous stories collide with the reason for the decimation of the original Mission. The conclusion to the story points to both physical and spiritual failures and successes.

There is plenty of symbolism within the book, but I’ll leave the implications to its readers.

The writing never falters from its original tone even with the merging of POVs. When the story is over, I can imagine the storyteller heaving a sigh as I gaze up at his face wondering what he gained from the lost missions within these lives. I applaud Athol for taking a risk with the structure and style of this novel. Even though it’s not my kind of story, it will be and already has been marked as exceptional and meaningful to some—which proves my point that readers appreciate different kinds of books, do not fall in lock step with “rule” writing, and can certainly enjoy variety by innumerable types of authors. Well done, Athol.

Father, you know the plans you have for Athol. Good plans. He continues to present you in his stories and honors you with his writing. May your hands of blessing be upon his continued life of writing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.