The Chain

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Paul I. Wellman’s The Chain is a mid-20^th century parable about redemption and the influence people have on one another. 

The story is about class vs. class; rich vs. poor; native vs. immigrant; and even a little management vs. labor.  It centers around a mysterious Episcopalian priest who moves to a parish in a medium-size city in Kansas.  His approach upsets the status quo, kicking off a long chain of events.

Wellman intertwines a number of disparate threads in such a way to keep it easy to follow.  Throughout the book, he manages all the storylines well, bringing each together and to resolution at the end.

Christianity provides an underlying filament throughout much of the novel, but in the tradition common in the 1940s.  Society looks kindlier on religion.  More characters attend church than not.  Occasional passages from Episcopalian texts and the infrequent scripture quotations display the stilted and quaint King James English. 

But religion is a supporting character in this story.  This is a grown-up novel, depicting adult relationships and struggles.

The Chain will likely draw you in from the first scene—the funeral of the previous parish priest—through the development and evolution of its characters, and finally, to its satisfying conclusion.

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Quotes

Life is eternal; and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.

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