A fascinating read…
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began Anselm: a Metamorphosis, but it wound up being a very intriguing read. In reading the book’s back jacket blurb, I was aware that this title had religious connotations, however, when I read it, I was happy to discover that any religious messages were not overpowering to the story.
In Anselm: a Metamorphosis the reader will immediately meet Professor Eric Behrens. Eric isn’t even thirty, yet he’s overly cocky and arrogant. He’s quite certain that he has the world figured out, and that he can do no wrong. Sadly for him, these beliefs couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, Eric’s rather indiscreet dalliance with one of his summer students is about to cost him his job…
Stunned and angered by this sudden, and of course, ‘unfair’ dismissal, Eric storms out of the Dean’s office in search of his friend, and fellow professor, Jim Stevenson. Once Eric locates Jim, the two men proceed to walk around the campus as Eric recounts his plight. Jim pauses just prior to rounding a corner, so he can light a cigarette while still sheltered from the wind.
It is at this moment, when Eric is completely alone, that he raises his fist into the air. Shaking it, he curses at the world and wishes aloud to be someone, anyone, else. Well, you know what they say… “Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it.”
After Eric utters those fateful words, someone (or something) pushes him hard from behind; knocking him down onto a set of stairs. When Eric finally regains consciousness, Jim is bending over him; trying to ascertain whether or not he’s alright. Once Jim assures himself that the man on the ground in front of him is okay, he rushes off in search of his friend Eric. And that’s when the gravity of Eric’s situation sets in…
With that much of the premise explained, I don’t want to provide any more of the story within this my review. If you want to know what happens, might I suggest you pick up your own copy of “Anselm: a Metamorphosis.
In summary, Anselm: a Metamorphosis by author Florence Byham Weinberg was a wonderfully well-written read. Weinberg has taken an interesting premise, put a new spin on it and the end result is a fictional tale written both credibly and believably. Five Stars!