Catholic Review of: The Screwtape Letters

Over the past couple years I have heard a lot about C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. Since I tired of hearing how great it was, I decided I need to read it for myself. Having attempted to read Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a youth and finding it painfully boring, I came into this book with a lot of reservations given my previous opinion of his work. Clearly what others find to be an engaging read is not always the case for me. So I took a chance and dove into a copy of The Screwtape letters and found myself pleasantly surprised. Surprised enough that I'm looking forward to reading more of C.S Lewis' work.

The book is written in an entirely engaging style. The letters are the correspondence of Screwtape, a high ranking demon, to his nephew Wormwood, a novice tempter. In the letters we see all of Screwtape's advice to his nephew on how to claim the soul of a young man from "the Enemy" (God) for "Our Father Below". We learn of Wormwood's mistakes and Screwtape's suggestions to recover from those missteps. Essentially we get to see inside the mind of a demon spirit and how it operates to try and ensure that the patient (the human being tempted) falls from grace and into the clutches of Satan.

Even though the book is set in war-torn England (World War II), the issues in the book are still very relevant today. All the temptations that are discussed/suggested by Screwtape are still alive and well in our society today. In essence, the Screwtape letters are timeless. Aside from the engaging way in which this book was written, I think what struck me most of all was how this book makes you think. In a way it challenges you to take a few steps back and look at how you are living your life. I generally don't find myself examining my conscience when reading literature, but I did while engaged in the Screwtape Letters.