The Mystery of Everything

Author Hilary Brand
Publisher DLT £5.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780232532081

Subtitled, ‘A Lent course based around the film The Theory of Everything’, this book enables groups and individuals to explore big issues from excerpts from the life of Professor Stephen Hawking. The movie featured Eddie Redmayne in the main role and Felicity Jones as his first wife, from whose point of view the story was told. Hilary Brand explores the story by focussing on a number of key themes: the experience of wonder, the enigma of weakness, the complexity of relationships, the encounter with frailty and the hope of brokenness. The author has previously used other films, such as Chocolat, as well as the writings of C.S. Lewis to create previous Lent books very successfully. Given Hawking’s known atheism, or perhaps agnosticism, it is amazing that the Christian course model fits, but in fact it works very well, due to Brand’s skill as a writer. She produces some very profound passages. Personally, I was both challenged and inspired, especially by her discussion on human dignity. First class!

Reviewed by CAVAN WOOD

Lenten devotion