Conflict (1898-1919) No. 2 in the Spirit of Union series By Gordon Ryan Deseret Book, 1998. Hardback: 400 pages. ISBN: 1-57345-284-X Suggested retail price: $17.95 (US)
Reviewed by: Jeff Needle

This is volume two of Ryan's fine series, "Spirit of Union." It follows the story of Tom and Katrina Callahan. We met them in Volume 1, which I reviewed, and enjoyed very much.

Where Volume 1 focuses on story line and the ultimate union of Tom, a Roman Catholic, and Katrina, a convert to Mormonism, Volume 2 focuses more on character development and the birth and maturing of the Callahan children.

The Callahans are living in Salt Lake City. Tom is a wealthy banker and a popular resident of the city. Katrina is a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and a popular hostess.

Despite difficulties during childbirth, Katrina delivers four children to the family. But with the tragic death of one of the children, a sense of alienation sets in between Tom and some of his family. This tension will drive much of the story line to the end of the book.

Two dynamics are at work in this second volume. First, there is the stress caused by Tom and Katrina's religious differences. Even when not explicitly named, it's always in the air. Sometimes Ryan presents the issues in a thoughtful, though understated manner.

Early in the book, Tom is speaking with a friend of his, a Roman Catholic bishop. Their first child had been born, and the Bishop was concerned that the baby had not been baptized. He reminded Tom of Catholic dogma that taught that the unbaptized would be cast into hell. During this same conversation, the Roman Catholic bishop reminds Tom of Mormonism's idea that he, the Bishop, would never attain celestial glory, since he had never married.

The undercurrent thought was, "See how irrational those Mormons are? Why worry about what they would think if your baby is baptized?" And we immediately think, "Wait just a minute -- your religion teaches that this baby will burn in hell, through no fault of his own. Now who's being irrational?" The dialogue is cleverly underplayed, but the point is not lost.

The other dynamic at work is the constant tension between Tom's desire for perfection and order in his life, and the price to be paid when one fails to see one's own shortcomings. When Katrina's past returns to haunt her, Tom sees his daughter react with anger and resentment. What he doesn't see is his own self reflect in his daughter. Each of the children, in some way, displays an affinity for the father's character. Sadly, Tom fails to see himself in his children, and consequently creates divisiveness and family disharmony.

As with Volume 1, I thoroughly enjoyed "Spirit of Union - Conflict." As we learn more of Tom and Katrina, and indeed as we come to know their children and their chosen life-paths, we have an opportunity to see a little of ourselves in these people. Much fiction writing tends to leave the reader with a one-dimensional view of the characters. Ryan, happily, gives us a fair opportunity to either like or dislike the characters. There are no heroes; there are no villians. Only real people, living real lives, facing real challenges.

I have only one word of advice concerning a third volume -- "Hurry!"

... nfx v3.1 Jeffrey Needle / jeff.needle@general.com