I first read J. R. R. Tolkien, then became engrossed in the writings of C. S. Lewis who introduced me to a third friend of theirs, a member of "The Inklings", a literally group meeting weekly to share each others works.Tolkien first read "The Lord of the Rings" to this gathering over beer. C. S. Lewis read "The Chronicles of Narnia", among other things, and Williams, an editor at Oxford Press, read "All Hallows' Eve."
The editor of Oxford Press, Williams was a mostly self-educated genius fascinated with the Occult and Christianity. His novels combine the two in awe inspiring fashion.
Two ghosts, Lester and Evelyn, discover they're both dead, hit by a falling airplane as peace descends on post WWII London. An angry Lester's waiting to meet her husband Richard, who's late, on a bridge. Her friend Evelyn is nearby and the two are left to wonder what's happened, slowly coming to the realization that they are dead.
Longing to return to the way they lived in the world, both reach through the supernatural veil separating the living from the dead. Simultaneously, a renown minister uses the occult to reach, and manipulate, the spiritual world for his own purposes.
The result is an intriguing story of a man and woman who discover how much they love one another through death through examination of their shortcomings when they were together. Theirs is woven with that of a bitter woman who believes she never got the support needed for a happy life, demanding to bring the living and the dead into her own universe of bitterness. The overarching structure of religion, and lack thereof, demonstrate how the living will go to any lengths to use faith to achieve what they desire.
Williams forces readers to inquire how they themselves are living. Are we kind or unkind? Do we try to right wrongs or merely move on? Is redemption important and how far are we willing to go to achieve it? Can we become so self-absorbed to become demonic as anything that's already gone to the grave? What is life after death?
Many times I found myself so engrossed in a particular character I lost myself on the page pondering these questions waking long minutes later searching for where I'd left off. Williams genius is drawing the reader into another world forcing us to grapple with the same issues the characters are wrestling.
In the 1945 context of University academics, Williams writing is more literate than today's modern, fast-pace prose. Taking great care to lovingly craft each sentence, it may take some a while to get accustom to the reading. Even the dialogue that takes place is lavishly constructed appropriating the vernacular of mid-20th century England.
I highly recommend All Hallows' Eve as a fascinating entry into a world you already wonder about. As for myself, I've already started another one of his books.
