The Sparrow
This is on the favorite-books-EVER lists of some of my favorite readers. It took me a hundred pages to get into it but once I did I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. The New York Times Book Review calls this "A startling, engrossing, and moral work of fiction." Entertainment Weekly adds "Important novels leave deep cracks in our beliefs, our prejudices, and our blinders. The Sparrow is one of them."
Publisher’s description:
A visionary work that combines speculative fiction with deep philosophical inquiry, The Sparrowtells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end.
