This is a thoughtful discussion, cloaked in satire, of cultural differences within Christian circles on both sides of the Atlantic. George and Brad are two fictional young men who decide to write to each other....the book details their correspondence.

It’s a cleverly written book. Cultural differences are touched upon several times, most relevant to Christians who are familiar with church settings, but much would be relevant to others too. There’s no real plot as such; it’s character-based, charting a year's journey, seeing Brad starting to come to terms with a bereavement, and George writing about why he lost his faith. There were a few places where I smiled, one where I chuckled slightly, and one where I was moved almost to tears.

There are caricatures, of course; both correspondents use humour and satire to cover embarrassment or hurt. My only problem with the book is that the styles and characters came across, sometimes, as too similar. But overall I enjoyed it very much, more so than when I first read it about twenty years ago. ( )