by Brittany Wyatt
“Agnes at the End of the World” by Kelly McWilliams follows a young woman, Agnes, as she discovers the disturbing reality behind the cult she was raised in and starts to question if she should accept her life as a member of it.
With themes of racism, sexism, and general religious intolerance, the story truly excels in the buildup rather than the outcome, which cannot be said for most other books.
The pacing, though leisurely, still manages to keep the reader's attention because of the realistic nature that it presents.
McWilliams keeps the book genuinely surprising at times in ways that left me shocked and humbled by the revelations. However, you often get the feeling of wanting more; though everything is explained adequately to a degree where one can feel that it has reached its creative limit, nothing is pushed past that level.
As I was reading, I always felt like ideas were missing because McWilliams focused on other, more arbitrary aspects of the novel.
Despite the slow pacing, the actual reading of the book is very fast-paced. There is never a moment where the reader feels as if they cannot stand to look at the pages anymore; however, there were also moments that felt frustrating because of the contrived convenience in which they occur.
Because they were so awkwardly placed, the flow of the story was interrupted. There were many moments where peril seemed imminent, yet everyone turned out alright despite the dangers. This is unacceptable in storytelling, as are the relatively one-dimensional characters.
Though they all change drastically throughout the 417 pages, some lack a characteristic innate to a well-planned story. Most of the characters feel they are there merely to serve the author's purpose of criticizing modern-day fundamentalist Christianity: the homemaker-seeking polygamist, the power-hungry pastor, the abusive father, etc.
However, these characters are commonly found in other pieces of media that are similar in genre to “Agnes at the End of the World”. One can easily find themselves becoming tired of the unremarkable stereotypes.
Nevertheless, something about the slow realizations that Agnes comes to is endearing enough to cause the reader to look past these innate and (usually) detrimental flaws. It may be because of the genuine portrayal of feminine struggles in a fundamentalist society.
Still, Agnes's struggle somehow feels like the reader's struggle.
Despite the lack of smooth storytelling and original character ideas, the novel manages to pull at one's heartstrings. The problems feel incredibly real, rendering the point it is trying to make all the more relevant to modern life.
Though it may seem that the book's purpose is to criticize Christians, the reality of McWilliams' beliefs is made very clear by the novel's end: Christian youths should not find false truths in the religion around them. Instead, they should focus on their thoughts and morals to reach unique conclusions.
For this reason, I recommend “Agnes at the End of the World” to Christians (current or former) questioning their faith; it will inspire them in the same way it inspired me.
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