The Undoing of Saint Silvanus by Beth Moore

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The Undoing of Saint Silvanus by Beth Moore
Series: a standalone
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers on September 20, 2016

REVIEW BY STACI TROILO

The Undoing of Saint Silvanus is listed as a Christian woman’s fiction novel, but it also falls squarely into the mystery/suspense sub-genre of Christian lit. It is a dual timeline novel. The past storyline has an omniscient narrator. The present timeline has a few POV characters. One is Jillian, the protagonist. Of all the characters staying at Saint Sans (a former church called Saint Silvanus now turned into a home and boarding house), I found her to be the most difficult to like. At times, she has a huge chip on her shoulder and an acerbic tongue. Other times, she’s meek… nearly subservient. And nearly all of the time, I’d rather she use the other attitude with the people she interacts with. While readers understand why she is the way she is and can forgive her attitude transgressions, the other characters don’t have our insights, so the fact that many of them take to her (and more than one is interested romantically) is hard for me to understand.

Secondary characters, like Adella and Olivia, are much more consistent and, despite some tensions in the beginning, they’re infinitely more likeable. Tertiary characters such as David, Caryn, Mrs. Winsee, Bully, and Cal add a lot of color. Some are quirky, others are steadfast. Some are both. But they’re all enjoyable—the types of people you’d love to join on the veranda for a cup of coffee or glass of iced tea and just enjoy their company for an afternoon.

The villain is fairly obvious to readers from the second this person appears on the page. (In order to avoid spoilers, I won’t mention gender and will use “they/them/their” from this point forward.) It takes a while for their motivations to be made clear, and there is really no way to guess them ahead of time. Once the reason is revealed, it would have been nice to explore it more. This is the crux of the mystery-aspect of the story, yet readers don’t get the details and resolution that would have been so satisfying.

On the other hand, the woman’s fiction aspect? The interpersonal relationships, including complicated histories and how those issues resolve (or don’t)? Those are handled with care. The author does a solid job of completing character arcs and satisfying reader expectations (even if this reader still doesn’t quite understand why the secondary and tertiary characters like the protagonist so much and are so patient with her).

The Christian aspects of this novel do not impact the mystery at all, but the theme factors into to the arcs of the protagonist and her grandmother. Adella is a believer from the beginning. She provides levity when necessary but is always a fine example of Christian values.

Most of this story takes place in New Orleans, and as with all stories set in NOLA, the city has the potential to become a character in its own right. Scenes in the cemetery and in the French Quarter are the most visceral (other than those set in the house). As strong as the atmosphere is, I’d like even more.

The odor radiating from the sidewalk wasn’t so much the smell of death. Not yet anyway. It was the smell of filth, blown his way by a hot, humid gust that seemed to belch from the underworld.

Beth Moore, The Undoing of Saint Silvanus
POV: Sergeant Cal DaCosta

I love dual timeline novels, but I feel like the past and present never quite connected in this one. The past shows us where the “curse” of the church-turned-house began. I think the novel would have been better served if it was told from a POV character instead of an omniscient narrator, or if there was no past timeline and that history was revealed via flashback or historical retelling.

The author has a strong, distinct voice. It’s like listening to a friend tell a story. But there are a few quirky phrases that gave me pause. Certainly nothing that would make me put down the book, but it slowed my reading pace a bit when I’d stumble over them.

Overall, The Undoing of Saint Silvanus is an easy read. There are parts (like character motivations and historical relevance) that I’d have liked to explore more, and there are other parts (like Jillian’s bad attitude and everyone’s immediate and unwavering fondness for her) that could have been dialed back a little, but on the whole, it’s a solid story with many characters I enjoyed. Moore’s author note says she’s a nonfiction author, and this was her first novel. I hope she writes more fiction. I would definitely read another story of hers. She also has a sizable collection of nonfiction titles, and I intend to explore some of those. In the meantime, I rate this novel three and a half fish.

I read The Undoing of Saint Silvanus through Scribd.