That Hideous Strength
This is one of the books that is simply transcendent for me. It almost defies description (not that Iwon’t try). I love it so much that (almost) every word speaks to me but when I try to describe what Lewis does with the elements of the story it is hard to describe it without cheapening the gorgeous effects he created.
He writes of angels not of aliens. He writes of life as a perilous battle but without any silly grandstanding. He draws deeply from mythology without being self-consciously mythological. I find the book profoundly moving and it is very much a part of mental framework.
“I don’t believe we were meant to see ourselves,” said Jane. “He said something about being mirrors enough to see another.”