Interesting tale of a young Irish Catholic priest who is having a period of questioning humanity.

To find the answers he seeks, he goes off to Africa to interact with the San people in Nambia.

The experience is not what he expected with many twists and turns that cut his time there short.

Returning to Ireland, he has to work through things before he can finally discern whether to stay a priest or leave that world behind.

I wanted to enjoy this book, having spent some time in Namibia, I wanted to be immersed in the sights and sounds of this grand landscape and its diverse people. Instead this book takes its protagonist, David Callahan, a Catholic priest from dull, grey Ireland, to Namibia - but he never really sees its glories, blinded by the fog of his own introspection.

Karen and David were childhood friends, and could have been more, however, an early decision by David to become a priest, causes them to go separate ways. Karen moves on and becomes a journalist. After her brutal death - just mentioned in passing, at the hand of conveniently vague extremists in Syria - David faces a crisis of faith. If felt like the author had a story he wanted to tell, but needed a catalyst for David's change of heart, so just came up with this glib scenario.

Why did humans become so violent, when we part ways from our divine self? David reads an article on the San people of the Kalahari and decides to go there on a Quixotic attempt to find answers to his questions.

He joins a group of anthropologists in the Kalahari to study the San, but never really spends anytime with them or gains any insights that he could not have researched online. He and the various characters, (the hotel staff in Windhoek, the white anthropologists, his uncle back in Ireland) share their views on humanity, but he never has any in-depth discussions with the local indigenous people.

There is never a meeting of minds or a flash of inspiration to help poor David see through his personal fog. And we the reader are forced to float through the miasma along with him.

It does take a surprising turn when the priest faces another decision point where once again, women, chastity and religious vows are in the balance. It is from this point that I lose respect for the character - the decisions he takes from here show him to be as fallen a man as Biblical Adam, stripped of the same divinity he finds lacking in others. Maybe, rather than embark on a self serving mission of introspection, he could have stayed home and looked to his faith to find the strength to forgive the brutal act that led him down this path.

From a small Irish town to Namibia is a huge jump. For Father David Callahan it is also a leap of faith and one that is going to be tested over and over again.

Finding someone close to you murdered by extremists is a hard situation to face. Going as a priest to live with scientists who are following leads on human existence and the cause and reason for it is a test of your faith, especially under the circumstances Father David had to face. Will he succumb to scientific reason or will his faith sustain him. A touch of romance as well in this novel story.

The Prodigal Priest – André Costa

On the surface, André Costa’s 'The Prodigal Priest' follows the African adventure of Father David Callaghan, a man of the robe who may have lost his faith. In fact, we are led through pages of Costa’s own philosophy, a social criticism of modern life and its spirituality, or lack thereof.

Following the added losses of his mentor, his mother, and his best friend (and first, never explored, love), and burdened with his own sense of inadequacy, Father Callaghan decides to go on a sabbatical. Drawn to the idea of finding prelapsarian innocence among the San people of the Kalahari, thus understanding how humans fell from grace, he decides to join an anthropological team in Namibia. There, he is enthralled by the notion of an ego-less society, as well as by the people he meets, most notably Marie, a sexually-active Finnish scientist; and Jack, a self-taught, ex-seminarian anthropologist. Cue in many introspective philosophical conversations on humanity, human evolution, the role of religion, and the decay of human values. Also, expect a cursory experience of San life, alongside poaching, sex, socioeconomic depression, interracial relationships, murder, surviving an accident-the desert-a violent night ambush.

The title gives the ending away, to be honest, leaving the reader no less baffled than the good son in the parable is by his father’s favouritism. Then again, it may have been intended to do so. 'The Prodigal Priest' brings to mind the film ‘The Man from Earth’, with its flurry of ideas, lack of cohesion, as well as the underdeveloped moments of action.

Who will enjoy this
In style, Costa’s work may appeal to lovers of Stream of Consciousness literature. Its perpetual search of human truths through dialogue is slow, inciting more questions than presenting actions. More so, the language aims for erudition, requiring further thought.

Similarly, it could resonate with those disenchanted with modern culture. Its exaltation of the past cultures, of the dangers of the individualistic ego in a materialist society, matched by Callaghan’s increasing despair, provide a soothing mirror to those searching.

Who should give this a pass
'The Prodigal Priest' is not a book of action; thus, it will fail to engage the interest, let alone the sympathy, of any reader expecting such delivered. Moreover, it does not explore the San, the Kalahari, or the ancient survival skills in any fashion, despite introducing them.

On the other hand, it is not a sound philosophical, theological, scientific, etc. text, either. Anyone with a medium-to-strong background knowledge on any of the fields touched will be left dissatisfied, even frustrated. In the same vein, any reader with sensitivity to projects of colonial benefactor spirit will find this tome a trigger.

Conclusions and suggestions
I do not recommend this book. André Costa’s 'The Prodigal Priest' is an exercise in missionary pontification disguised as a journey into the depths of human interaction. It might make an alright indie film, as noted above, but as a book, it is sorely lacking.

Costa has clearly great knowledge, with which he peppers the tale. Most of that information given is irrelevant though (see the explanation of Herero clothing, or traditional Gaelic dishes), yet he leaves out much of what would actually be useful to understand the realities David Callaghan encounters in Namibia. Obviously, he aims at biasing the readers’ perspectives, glossing over the difficult issues (such as merely mentioning the political interracial and intertribal tensions) while promoting a paternalistic influence on the ‘natives’ (forcing the San back in time, away from modern conveniences such as medicine or higher education). This agenda is neither subtle, nor commendable.

Added to this, there is great imbalance between action and reflection, to the detriment of both. If a work requires action, this should be given enough weight, presence and progression. If it is a tome on introspection, then no action should be present to break it, except as anecdotal recollection. Costa seems unaware of this simple rule, introducing events he is unable, or unwilling to properly present, develop, and close. These situations, which meagre as they are seem quite promising, rather than help the rest of the book, simply show up the rest as meaningless filler.

This book could be salvaged, but it would require a lot of trimming of dialogues, and a lot more writing to flesh out the events – the actual turning points in character development.