The Elephant Talks to God.

Description

124 pages
$16.95
ISBN 978-0-86492-459-3
DDC C813'.54

Author

Year

2006

Contributor

Reviewed by Linda M. Bayley

Linda M. Bayley is a freelance writer based in Sudbury, Ontario.

Review

“The elephant decided it was time to have a talk with God.” So begins this delightful collection of parables about a curious elephant looking for life’s answers. Some of us talk to God in one way or another, but when the elephant talks, God actually answers in an audible voice from a cloud, a boulder, or even the stars. Following the elephant from youth to parenthood, Dale Estey lets us in on these conversations.

 

One might think that a book about an anthropomorphic elephant engaged in conversation with the Creator would tend to be either saccharine or heavy-handed, but Estey’s approach here is so light and charming that the reader is drawn in through the sheer joy of the prose, and may only notice later that a question has been raised in his mind. We see the elephant enjoying a good mud bath, trying to fly with the butterflies, accompanying a dying elephant to the elephant graveyard, and always asking questions. God’s answers are not always direct, but they are in turns humorous, sobering, and thought-provoking.

 

You don’t need to believe in God to benefit from The Elephant Talks to God. This book, if read with an open mind in a quiet place, can evoke laughter and tears, joy and sadness, and even some hope. It is a panacea for the modern illnesses of cynicism, stress, and despair. Everyone, believer or not, should read this book.

Citation

Estey, Dale., “The Elephant Talks to God.,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed October 12, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/26899.