The Shadow Doctor (by Adrian Plass)

(Amazon UK link)

Adrian Plass is one of my favourite modern Christian writers, and I’m always eager to get hold of his new books, as soon as they are available in paperback. Three years ago I was given ‘The Shadow Doctor’ for my birthday, and liked it very much but felt that the ending was rather inconclusive. I hoped very much that there was going to be a sequel, and was delighted when I learned that the author was already writing one.

However it’s taken until a couple of months ago for the sequel to be available in paperback, and several weeks for the copy I ordered to arrive. And in the meantime I realised that I’d forgotten the majority of the first book, so I have just read it again, and am very much looking forward to the second one.

The first time I read this book, I do recall being confused at first, wondering who the mysterious ‘Shadow Doctor’ was. We first learn of his existence through a long letter written to Jack by his grandmother, Alice, shortly before she died. It recounts her meeting with this unusual man, on a dark stormy night on a neglected beach. Alice recounts her nervousness at discovering someone else out and about, and I felt it too. Not so on my second reading over the past couple of days, as I did remember that things worked out well.

It’s a story of meetings, of practical and emotional help given to strangers who become friends, and of a growing friendship between two rather different people. The Shadow Doctor is described as someone in his sixties, with thick hair that’s greying, and sad eyes. I don’t recall how I imagined him the first time I read the book, but this time I could envisage Peter Capaldi, as he appeared in his Doctor Who role, as the Shadow Doctor. Possibly this idea was triggered by his insistence that everyone just call him ‘Doc’. We don’t learn what his name is.

I hope that the sequel will explain who exactly ‘Doc’ is, who his receptionist is who fields phone calls for him, and how he is funded. He lives on his own in a three-bedroomed cottage that exudes warmth and peace, and doesn’t really have any kind of structure to his days. He helps people, although he makes no charges, and his assistance is quite unconventional. He asks pointed questions - or apparently casual ones - and he usually sees through attempts to manipulate or deceive him.

It’s a Christian book, in what appears to be a low-key kind of way; Jack, at the start of the book, is a somewhat confused but quite enthusiastic evangelical who hides his own insecurities and doubts by doing all he can to help other people with their problems. He’s a bit concerned that his solutions never seem to help long term, although people appreciate him, and he hasn’t quite got behind the reality - or otherwise - of his pat answers and clichés.

‘Doc’ has a deep faith, as becomes gradually clear, but he doesn’t like to limit anything by giving it a name, and he’s rather good at evading questions. He’s had some serious hurt in his life, some of which is revealed later in the book, and I liked the way that Jack starts to gain confidence as he listens to the Shadow Doctor venting or explaining how he’s feeling.

It’s a very thought-provoking story, and also encouraging as the theme seems to be about taking a day at a time, going with the ‘flow’ - or listening to the Holy Spirit, as more traditional Christians would say - and doing what seems right. There are many challenges and some quite significant speeches including one about why prayer doesn’t ‘work’, at least not in the way we expect it to.

I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this book, which - as I’ve come to expect with Adrian Plass - is very well-written, nicely paced, and with an interesting mixture of characters. Definitely recommended if you’re a believer, or on the fringes of belief, and if you don’t mind several widely accepted ideas being turned upside down.

Review copyright 2021 Sue's Book Reviews