Lessons from The Wine of Astonishment

In today’s column, you will find one of my former student’s essays about The Wine of Astonishment.

My YTC students loved this novel narrated by Eva, a strong, supportive Baptist woman, who holds her family together during that time when the British had outlawed the Spiritual/Shouter Baptists. They could relate to the poverty, persecution and the need to be independent.

The Wine of Astonishment presents the Baptists’ struggles during that time from 1917 to 1951 when the British outlawed the religion. Eva relates how this religious persecution affects her village, starting with her husband, Bee, the leader of the Bonasse Baptist church. Bee, like all the other Baptists in the village, must weigh the cost of pursuing their religion.

The Baptists of Bonasse face persecution from the British and their own local politician, Ivan Morton. Colourful characters like Bolo the stickfighter, demonstrate the importance of religion and culture in keeping a village together. As the Baptists’ problems mount, Eva notes how the entire village struggles to survive.

Young people flee to the city hoping for jobs with the Americans.

Throughout the novel Eva never doubts that God doesn’t give more than you can handle.

This historical novel will make you question how far you would go to stand up for the principles you believe in. This story of how culture and religion support and redeem us is a piece of history to be proud of as we head towards a holiday that symbolises our choice to worship freely.

Here is an essay by my former YTC student known as Ralph.

His essay is featured in my book Wishing for Wings.

Ralph’s Essay “Sometimes, like a mirror, I see my reflection looking back at me through pages behind a hard cover.

I was once told that through reading a book the journey of life becomes much easier because you establish who you really are after each page turned or your see different aspects of yourself.

“Reading The Wine of Astonishment painted portraits that represented symbolic and realistic scenes of my life. One such scene is in the beginning and sadly in the ending of Wine of Astonishment.

“The summary of events can be broken down simply like this: The church was hopeful and strong at one point in time, but challenged when faced with the added stress brought by the Government, law, other churches and their own selves.

“These troubles all piled on top of each other becoming like lava trying to burst from a volcano.

So is my life, suffocating in the rubble of disappointment and failures, rejection, shame, ridicule, insults and oppression. In the darkness, each door that leads into light is entered and suddenly vanishes like vapour.

“Hold on to the rope and it snaps. Yet they say fight. So I fight, fall, scream, fight, bleed, fight, give up and try, but fail until maybe the day I’m set free.

“The irony is, all this struggling has worn me down, and if I am set free, just like the church in Wine of Astonishment, my spirit would die leaving only a shell – like the church –the wind could easily blow by without saying goodbye.” The Wine of Astonishment is available in local book stores. It is now available on amazon.com as a kindle book as well.