Father of Lies

De: Brian Evenson

Narrado por: Mauro Hantman

A fearless, scathing, and irresistible novel about madness, power, and the hypocrisy of religious institutions.

Lay provost Eldon Fochs is a happily married father of four. Based on his disturbing dreams, he may also be a sex criminal. His therapist isn’t sure, and his church is determined to protect its reputation. Written from the perspectives of Fochs, his analyst Dr. Alexander Feshtig, and the letters exchanged between Feshtig and his superiors in the church hierarchy, Father of Lies is Brian Evenson’s fable of power, paranoia, and the dangers of blind obedience. It offers a terrifying vision of how far institutions will go to protect themselves against the innocents who may be their victims.

This edition includes an introduction by Samuel R. Delaney (Dhalgren).

“Evenson’s literary genius lay in his ability to spread reasonable doubt and blur lines of inquiry.” —New York Journal of Books

“Father of Lies stands out among Evenson’s work as the most institutionally critical, morally unsettling.” —Vice

“Packed with the kind of psychological tension that creates classics and a critique of organized religion that’s too loud, clear, and sharp to ignore.” —Horror Talk

“[Evenson’s] scary fictional treatment of church hypocrisy has the feeling of a reasoned attack on blind religious obedience.” —Publishers Weekly

©1998 Brian Evenson (P)2022 Audible, Inc.

Disturbing masterpiece

Agh - I don’t like the way I feel right now. Kind of rattled. Just a book, but deeply disturbing.

A new genre of religious horror perhaps?

I love the premise of the story but I am also so well aware that this whole story may be all too true and that’s where the real horror lies.

Callous and disturbing

Short but haunting. I’ll definitely be adding more from Evenson in my collection! Highly recommend

Quite a ride.

A wild one, to be precise. If you grew up around any seriously religious institution, you can’t help but recognize the grotesque pillars holding it up that Evenson highlights so thoroughly here.

If you typically seek out trigger warnings, this one might not be for you.

absolutely great

I love the story but it's very dark and disturbing for people to read under the age at least 18 just due to the plot. absolutely great sometimes I think this is pretty accurate or could be truth in our world. love it!

Brilliant but disturbing

Evenson is a genius. Very intense story with a very real underbelly. Intense and disturbing descriptions of rape and assault, particularly of children. Tough to get through at times. Not my favorite of his, but still recognize his brilliance.

Absolutely Maddening

Wow, I've never had a novel make me want to reach through the pages and choke out a character... This novel is HORRIFYING, and the scariest part is that it happens every day.

Asdfghjk

First off it’s a well written book. But I feel weird giving it 5 stars. I guess the emotion it brought out while listening accomplished the authors goal. I will never revisit this book. It’s a one and done. Idk that I would recommend it to anyone either. You feel some sort of way afterwards. I feel like I need to shower, grab a glass of whiskey, get a cigarette, and just stare into nothing for a while. The author did great job in getting the reader emotionally involved, but I’m just a little speechless on what to think.

Sickening

This is the kind of horror that terrifies you once with its story, then twice by reminding you of how real it is.

Religious Control

This book was not for me. To me it’s repulsive and apparently I have found something that gets under my skin. Also it mirrors to much what has happened in real life. For me less description of those parts would have made it better.
I understand that this book is highly popular and recommended. I went blindly in and that is my fault. The book is written well, with the back and forth guessing what’s real or not. Parts were predictable, the ending was good. Kudos to the author for writing on a difficult topic.