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Prayers of a Very Wise Child

In a career spanning more than four decades, Roch Carrier has never failed to make his readers laugh. Prayers of a Very Wise Child, like so much of Carrier's fiction, has a wonderfully subtle and whimsical sense of humour that allows him to explore the depth of the human heart and to share with readers his enjoyment of that journey. Set in the rural Quebec of Carrier's childhood, it traces a young man's relationship with God through his prayers, from the tender age of seven until the unnamed narrator is just about to turn 20. We eavesdrop on his innocent questioning of a God who takes the lives of other children, allows wars, and doesn't put a stop to evil. We find prayers for making snow fall on an outdoor ice rink, prayers for becoming good at something, and prayers to help curb the narrator's occasional use of swear words. As he reaches puberty, we find him obsessing about the uncontrollable urges that fire his imagination: his "Prayer of the Little Soldier Who Stands at Attention" is certainly hilarious, but Carrier is careful not to mock the seriousness of this very real dilemma in this young man's life. There's even a healthy dose of questioning of religious authority in the "Prayer of Someone Who Would Like to Know Where He Comes From," and this prayer foreshadows the young man's decision to leave his religious upbringing behind in the book's final chapter. Carrier's humour is never exercised at the expense of his character, and it is this respect that ultimately most stirs the reader. — Jeffrey Canton

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 168
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 978-0-14-014916-6
  • EAN
  • 9780140149166
  • Genres
  • canada
  • Release date
  • 1992