An Amazon commentary on Bishop Willimon’s novel, Incorporation

Before I had finished the second chapter, I knew Incorporation was destined for my list of favorite novels of all time.  What’s so great about Incorporation? First of all, there are the characters. They are at once familiar to us, and at the same time larger than life. They are at the same time outrageous and sympathetic — and they come together to form an unforgettable ensemble. Then there is the plot – this novel is a pot-boiler. You can’t put it down. Then there is Willimon’s detailed, trenchant, and incisive insight. Nothing escapes his notice. Then here is his humor. It’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. The novel is at once a romp, a farce, a satire, and a tragedy, but what really distinguishes this novel, and where Willimon leaves most contemporary novelists behind, is that Incorporation is deeply theological, and theological in a way that actually aligns with the gospel. It does not leave us in the quagmire, albeit the humorous quagmire, of the human predicament. It is laced with eternal verities. Finally, Incorporation tells the story of the ways of God and human redemption. Incorporation is a masterpiece.

Honestly, I am no reviewer and any review can not do this book justice. I should have savored it more.  I rushed through it flipping the pages, and now the fun is over. I know. I will reread it!  Thanks again for this sui generis gem. Everyone who knows me will be getting it for Christmas.

Rebecca Clancy, a professor at Elmhurst College