Jonah Comfait’s father is missing. His tour boat was found on a reef, and it’s assumed he perished in a storm. Jonah does not accept this and the reader is touched by the fourteen year old’s hope when he sees his father in what he thinks is a dream, the more so because the reader knows the treachery behind the apparition. We fear for him as Jonah rushes off to find an old hermit on a nearby island, who will give him the clues he needs to rescue his father from the Djinn, who feed on his nightmares.
The quest takes him to the fantastic hidden island of Mysterion, where he meets angeli, Monviel, the ruler, and receives help and advice on the quest.
Jonah’s journey to his father is fraught with danger – he must escape from the Cyclops, decide whether or not to trust a helpful companion, brave the Bay of Storms before he reaches his destination. Once on the Djinn’s island, Jonah is faced with the ultimate choice – take his father’s place as a slave or leave his father to his fate until the Djinn release him. It is Jonah’s voluntary acceptance of the slavery which ultimately frees them both, and sets the stage for the defeat of the Djinn by Monvieil’s subjects in the climax of the book.
For Richard Rene’s childhood memories of living in the Seychelle island chain off the coast of Kenya provided the vivid and realistic setting for his debut mid-grade novel. His love for the area informs and uplifts the descriptions in the book. As well, Fr Richard knows sailing and sailboats, and his descriptions of Jonah’s trials as he sails over the reef onto the open ocean are fraught with tension, and edged with realism. We heave a sigh of relief when Jonah finally makes it past the dangerous coral, and onto the open water.
The story pulls the readers in and holds them in tense anticipation from the opening sentences to the final resolution of the book. But more than this, Fr Richard has woven Orthodox themes and our timeless, universal theology into the very fabric of the story, so that any Orthodox tween or early teen reading this will not only have an exciting adventure, but will also recognize and learn from the underlying layers of the tale.
The symbolism in the book is never overt, and the author never preaches. Rather, he weaves the symbolism seamlessly into the story, so that without even realizing it, the reader feels a strong, comfortable recognition with the truths presented every week in the Divine Liturgy.
The purpose of the book is not, however, to teach theology, no matter how subtly the lesson is presented. Published by one of Canada’s foremost secular children’s publishers, the book is, first and foremost, a story to be read and enjoyed. Fr Richard succeeds admirably – his characters are realistic, his settings clear and vivid and Jonah’s problems complicated enough to require the utmost effort to solve.
The Nightmare Tree will undoubtedly raise comparisons with Lewis’ Narnia stories, and for the same reason – love and hope permeate the book from beginning to end. You close the book feeling refreshed and revitalized. It’s a good thing that the author plans more stories in Mysterion, because readers will want to return.
