Book Review: The Twisted Circle

I have been rereading How to Read a Book: A Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Adler and Van Doren. This week, I read the chapter on suggestions for reading stories, plays, and poems. While reading the section titled How to Read Stories, the authors discussed the frustration readers sometimes experience when they feel overwhelmed trying to remember characters. Some even give up on a book because they don’t want to keep track of its characters and their relationships.

The authors then offered the following advice:

“It does not always occur to such fainthearted readers that exactly the same thing happens to them when they move to a new town or part of a town, when they go to a new school or job, or even when they arrive at a party… We may not remember the names of everyone we met at a party, but we will recall the name of the man we talked to for an hour, or the girl with whom we made a date for the next evening, or the mother whose child goes to the same school as ours… However, by the time we have finished War and Peace or any big novel, we know who is important, and we do not forget.” (p. 219)

The novel I’m about to review is not as long as War and Peace, but the same principle applies. There is a character named Barbara who will stay with me for as long as my mind allows. She will join Hazel, Jade, Jane, Katie, and Eric among those memorable characters who have made a lasting impression on me.

The Twisted Circle by Rosaliene Bacchus tells the story of Sister Barbara Lovell, a Guyanese nun who joins a convent in the village of Santa Cruz, where she also serves the community as a schoolteacher and acting principal.

Rosaliene does a wonderful job of narrating the story through three perspectives: the inner lives of the sisters as they live in community and interact with local priests; the heinous events surrounding the abuse of children; and, in the background, a country trying to move forward as a republic after centuries of colonialism.

Sister Barbara is the main character, and through her, we learn about the horrible things that happen when religious vows and high moral standards are established but not upheld as they should be. The novel also explores the dynamics of a republic as it tries to find its footing, with corruption and retribution serving as stumbling blocks to progress.

Barbara is a strong woman struggling to maintain her faith and honor her vows as she grapples with the memories of a recent sexual assault by one of the priests, which led her to move to Santa Cruz. Even in this new place, Barbara is not safe, as a government official begins to sexually harass and assault her.

Through Barbara’s eyes, we see the hypocrisy within the Church, where nuns fall in love with priests, priests struggle to control their attraction to other men, and others indulge in their perverse passions for children. All the while, members of the religious community protect their own, concealing these realities and obstructing justice.

Barbara tries to help a boy named Raven, who is struggling after being abused by a priest. For a school end-of-term project, Raven paints twisted circles with a large, elliptical red eye staring out from a stormy blue and purple sky. The painting also includes dark areas across the forest, where “God’s light did not penetrate” (p. 67).

I really like how Rosaliene integrates flashbacks throughout the story, allowing us to discover the backstories of Barbara and Frances, an American nun who serves as Barbara’s nemesis throughout the novel.

Rosaliene also incorporates epistolary techniques, presenting Frances’s journal entries throughout the novel. These entries are illuminating and particularly well done.

The novel explores the dark side of Catholicism, which, for whatever reason, the institution seems reluctant to address fully and openly. It also shows the lasting effects of colonialism on people, effects that persist for many years after independence is achieved.

I got the sense that, even though Barbara has lost faith in the religious institution, she remains a believer.

I was delighted to find Rosaliene’s novel engaging from the start, with plenty of suspense and tension to keep me guessing until the end.

I highly recommend her novel, and I know I’ll be reading Under the Tamarind Tree next.

About the Author:

Rosaliene Bacchus grew up in Georgetown, Guyana, spent 17 years in Northeast Brazil, and now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her two sons. As a young idealist in the 1970s, the divorced mother and former import-export manager had dedicated seven years to the religious life as a Catholic nun and high school teacher. Her debut novel, Under the Tamarind Tree, was released in 2019.

32 thoughts on “Book Review: The Twisted Circle”

  1. Wow, Edward, what a wonderful surprise! And what a truly insightful review that would make Sister Barbara Lovell really proud! I’m so happy that she is now numbered among your memorable fictional characters 😀

    Like

    Reply

  2. That sounds like an intense novel! I had lunch last week with some neighbors and learned that the woman I was sitting next to moved to Arizona from Guyana. I look forward to learning more about her life there. She didn’t say much about it except call it “my country.”

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank you! I tend to follow my gut after reading about an author and some of their work. It’s not a very sophisticated method, but it’s served me well so far. I’ve only come across a couple of novels that didn’t impress me.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. Who knew there was a book on “how to read a book” lol…but yeah, that happens to me! Takes a couple of chapters sometimes to get the characters all straight!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Yes, and it’s very good. This is my second time reading it, and it’s incredible how much you learn from it. I think I’m going to read it once a year until I have a good grasp of its content. That chapter was a good reminder, since I’m going to read some challenging novels pretty soon.

      Like

      Reply

        1. You’re welcome! Her background is super interesting, and we were discussing some of the subjects presented in her books, which piqued my curiosity. I really liked how she developed the characters and the narrative.

          Liked by 2 people

          Reply

  9. I agree, Edward. An enlightening and engaging story. If one wants to look behind the vail of religious institutions, this book will be worthwhile.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Absolutely! I was pulled in by the story. Interestingly enough, I read the other day about a U.S. deacon who left the church after his son was abused by a priest. The church then excommunicated him for leaving and joining a Protestant church. A lot happens behind institutional walls, for sure.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Ed, an excellent review. What particularly interests me is the distinction between an institution’s declared principles and the incentives that ultimately govern its behavior. Sister Barbara’s apparent loss of confidence in the institution, without necessarily losing her faith, suggests something considerably larger than a religious dilemma. Institutions can become so invested in preserving their authority that the very principles intended to legitimize that authority become secondary. Your observations about the parallels between religious hierarchy and postcolonial government make this especially compelling. Well done, my friend.

    Joe Cozart, GMJoe™, GMJoe™ Consulting

    ——— GMJoe™ ——— https://www.amazon.com/author/joecozart

    Joe Cozart GMJoe™ Consulting Clarity. Strategy. Sovereignty. Author, Consultant, Writer The Olive Ann Hotel Lobby Grand Forks, ND 58201 Mobile: (701) 885-2684 Email: joe@gmjoe.org

    Website: https//:GMJoe.org

    Information is common and inference is scarce ~ Joe Cozart is an author and consultant whose work explores power, systems, culture, and upstream institutional change.

    >

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

Leave a Reply