The book I would like to review is Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J. M. Nouwen.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Return Of The Prodigal Son by Henri J. M. Nouwen, originally published in 1994, would qualify as the most personally influential book on spirituality I've ever read. As a result of reading it, I am now an avid Nouwen "fan". That being said, I have to say I'm also an art lover so that is an additional reason that this book really interested me.

Nouwen first describes how he became interested in the Return of the Prodigal Son painting by Rembrandt in the first place. That in itself is very interesting. But it's the analysis of the painting that kept me riveted to the pages. It was absolutely amazing to me, how it could seem almost to have been written with me in mind. Nouwen notices and then applies incredible detail to the overall theme of his interpretation- that of how much the Father loves us.

The book looks at the parable from all angles-- from that of the son who has left and then returned to his father, to the older brother who never left home, to the father who welcomes the younger son back home and pleads with his older son. Many aspects that the casual viewer of the painting could miss are brought into the light, to show how the artist wanted to show the infinite love of the Father for us as his children. It also shows how we are all the characters in the parable, in our actions and our attitudes.

Each chapter takes a look at a different character in the painting. After the prologue, the author looks at the actual story of the parable and how each character views his situation. As the book progresses, Nouwen takes the reader from the younger son to the older son to the father. He allows us to see what each character in the painting is like, but then also allows us to see ourselves AS each character. Nouwen does not just leave us hanging there having allowed us to see ourselves in these roles. He helps us apply this new view of ourselves to our real world that we live in.