-“The Betrayal” – A Review

Late last year, before our rather abrupt move, I had borrowed The Betrayal by Douglas Bond, from a dear friend from church. I read it, we moved, I wanted to read it again. I finally finished it…

Douglass Bond is a contemporary author living in Washington State. He lives with his wife and six children. He is a teacher of English and history and his books are the product of extensive research. He is the author of the Crown and Covenant Series as well as the sequel Faith and Freedom Series.

The Betrayal- A Novel on John Calvin was published by P & R Publishing in 2009. The novel is 37 chapters and 375 pages in length. Besides the story, this book also contains a time-line to the Reformation and John Calvin’s life, as well as a guide to further reading.

The Betrayal begins in a rather unexpected way. Dropped into the middle of World War I, we follow an elderly gentleman and his young grandson as they struggle to survive when bombers attack the French village of Noyon-le-Sainte. After a harrowing attack, the duo begins sifting through the remains of their now destroyed home and find a box that contains a few ancient articles, including a manuscript written on yellowed parchment. Crouching in the bomb shelter that they must now call home, the old man begins to read the tale or “confession” written long ago… Jean Louis Mourin was born in the same town, around the same time, as John Calvin in the 1500’s. He grows up in the same area, and through a series of strange events, becomes John Calvin’s servant at a very young age. There is one major problem, however: Jean Louis despises John Calvin. The book follows Jean Louis, and through him John Calvin, throughout the years of their life. While John Calvin becomes a part of the Reformation, Jean Louis secretly begins to help King Frances to destroy the reformed Christians. His motive? A golden purse. He continues in his duplicity, torn between guilt and pride, until one night…

I really enjoyed reading this book. While I’m not always a huge fan of historical fiction, due to the fact that they must be taken carefully to separate truth from fiction, I really did love this one. Jean Louis is thoroughly unlikeable, yet Mr. Bond generates enough sympathy in his readers for them to begin hoping for his eventual salvation.

Caution: I would recommend this book, only for mature readers. A few of the elements discussed and the forms of punishment in France that are described, as well as the descriptions of the deaths of several martyrs, are not for young minds and ears.

“Take heed: he who strays away from the Word of God may run as fast as he likes, yet will not reach the goal because he will wind up in the wrong path. It is better to limp on the right way than to run on the wrong…” – John Calvin

To the KING be all the glory!