The Saint of Bright Doors
by Vajra Chandrasekera
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted May 9, 2024
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This debut novel has already won this year's Crawford Award, presented by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. It is also a finalist for three others (so far); Nebula, Hugo, and Lambda. Chandrasekera, who is from Columbo, Sri Lanka, has published over fifty short stories, and has edited at Strange Horizons for several years, for which he has also been a Hugo finalist twice. The Saint of Bright Doors is complex, with multiple plot elements, not all of which are resolved. Does Fetter become the eponymous saint, as his father thought he should, or does he reject that, especially after learning more about the doors?
UPDATE: The Saint of Bright Doors won the Nebula Award for Best Novel of 2023.
A secondary world fantasy set on the super-continent of Jambu, which had been altered physically and culturally several times. Fetter and his parents could be considered demi-gods at least. His father, known as the Perfect and the Kind, is the leader of a religious group called the Path Above. He abandoned his family shortly before Fetter was born, and as he left he caused their island nation to merge with Jambu, creating a mountain range that separated Acusdab from lands to the north. His mother, only ever identified as Mother-of-Glory, used a magical nail to pin Fetter's shadow and rip it away from him. She also trained him to kill members of his father's family, with the intent that he would eventually kill his father. After several murders he rejected that future for himself, left Acusdab, and traveled to the larger city of Luriat. I was surprised by the technology available in Luriat; automobiles, planes, trains, TV, computers, cell phones, having originally thought the setting was in an earlier historical period.
Fetter settles in an area known as the Sands, a low-rent district near the shore. After several years he is well known in the community, acting as a greeter to new residents, willing to help them become familiar with the city's bureaucracy, although he is still learning himself. He becomes fascinated by the city's mysterious Bright Doors. They cannot be opened, and if approached from the opposite side are not visible, there is only a blank wall where the door should be. Committees have been formed to observe and study the doors, and Fetter learns there are groups attempting to witness the transformation of ordinary doors into Bright Doors. He frequently meets with a group that identify as "unchosen" or "almost chosen," meaning their destiny was supposed to be tied to a spiritual phenomenon, but they either rejected it or were ostracized. He has told a few of them that his father is the Perfect and the Kind. He has not revealed some of his abilities. One is…not quite flight…but he can negate gravity in a limited way, similar to a fabled fakir. He can also see what he calls devils, but his mother referred to as invisible laws and powers. Invisible to her at least, and he is sure she would be angry that he can see them. That doesn't mean he understands them, where they are from, or what their intentions might be. His Unchosen group persuades him to impersonate someone else in order to infiltrate one of the door observer groups. Things become complicated after he witnesses a devil emerge from one of the Bright Doors.
Another weird thing is that when the Perfect and the Kind merged the land masses he also altered time and history. Everyone learned of various occupations, wars, and regime changes over thousands of years that never actually happened. Fetter is aware of a lot of that, although he isn't sure about his father's ultimate agenda. Things get even more complicated when he learns the Perfect and the Kind wants to come to Luriat to preach to the believers of the Path Above, as well as hopefully merge his followers with those of the Path Behind. Then he learns of an artifact with the potential to harm the Perfect and the Kind. He is torn between disassociating his life from the destiny his mother wanted for him, and his growing fear of the harm his father might inflict. All of the divisions within the country, governmental and religious, were inherent in the alterations the Perfect and the Kind made to the world. What other changes might he make to fulfill a greater vision?
Yes, the above is typical of my reviews, more synopsis than analysis. Even if I was a better reviewer I would hesitate to say much more. It would take more time than I have to research whether any of the story has referents in Sri Lankan history. Even if there are it would not change how compelling the story is. The book is complex, mainly because Fetter is complex, full of contradictions and uncertainties. When I said many things were not resolved I meant it like real life. Our path is not always smooth, there are frequent detours, and alterations to our previous intentions. There will be people who come into our life that affect us, even if minimally, and then depart, no matter how much we would prefer them to stay. Friendships are formed, then broken, or at least go through changes. Every action we take has an affect on our future, but there are also factors beyond our control. I won't tell you of Fetter's fate, since it is still in process at book's end. I will tell you his story is well worth your time. Highly recommended.
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