Terrorist

Some months back I made a commitment to continue my pursuit of reading John Updike's works, and yesterday I polished off his novel, Terrorist. It's the gripping story of a high school kid caught in the grip of radical Islam and his dream of dying for jihad. In true Updike style, however, there's more to the story, including some interesting relational twists and plenty of well-researched insights into the religious and human psyche.

I'm glad I read Terrorist, but it's not one of my favorite Updike novels. His works now consume an entire shelf in my home library, and I must confess I lean more heavily into his domestic novels than his social commentaries.

Placing all of these novels on the shelf now, I also have to think about dusting from time to time. I would ask my wife to do that kind of dirty work, but she gets rather miffed if I suggest it is her life's work to tidy up my library shelves. I don't want to start a holy war at home. Lord knows I don't need jihad in my living room. So . . . I think I'll just let the dusting slide. Sorry, John.