Book Review: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis has been a favorite author of mine since childhood. Discovering his amazing nonfiction writing as an adult helped push me back to attending mass regularly. The Screwtape Letters in the same vein is an incredibly edifying book. The book is a series of letters written by a senior demon to his nephew, a young tempter demon trying to damn the soul of an English man around the time of WWII. At its core it is a book about morality. The unique perspective and broken up structure allow for it to touch on a variety of subjects, from prayer, to church life, family relations, sexual morality, politics, aesthetics, and even history. It is at once thought-provoking, challenging, pithy, and often funny in a somewhat bitter sort of way. My only real criticism is I wanted more. I wish it were 50 pages longer and had gone either deeper on certain topics or had touched on others.

The brevity makes it easy to recommend to both the faithful and non-Christians alike. Even if your beliefs differ strongly from Lewis’ worldview he will give you much to think about as his work serves as a strong challenge to modern liberal ideology. The Screwtape Letters is a work of rich imagery and thoughtful polemic made more effective by its humor and heart. I intend to make my own kids read this someday.

Grade: A-