Many Faces to Many Places
by Judy Azar LeBlanc
Published by Xulon Press
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Reviewed by Maria Hoeffer
This story is the adventure of Many Faces, a spirit finding her own way along her life's journey. It is a classic tale of rise, fall and rebirth. The unique twist to this often-told tale is the allegorical style. Many Faces encounters creatures such as "Eyes of Faith," "Deception" and "Happiness" while gliding through her life. On her journey, she experiences a dark night of the soul full of pain and anguish and ultimately a rebirth into the light.
Though only 91 pages, the allegorical style lends itself to a density of the text. Each page begs the reader to stop and ponder the significance of the characters and look for the larger meaning behind Many Faces' experiences and encounters. While this can lead to some great personal insights, it can also create the feeling of a disjointed story. At times the author seems a bit heavy handed, not trusting the reader to draw their own conclusions--explaining that the names Ekaf and Eslaf are fake and false backwards, for example.
While the beginning of the story is quite open to the reader's own interpretation, the middle and final sections are ripe with the author's explanations and preaching. The allegory is a difficult and often unwieldy style that creates a sense of distance from the reader.
Armchair Interviews says: Judy Azar LeBlanc's tale of Many Faces' journey has a strong Christian overtone and would appeal to someone who has discovered Christianity to be their own personal path to truth.