review: elders by ryan mcilvain

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Written by a former member of the Mormon church, Elders provides an interesting glimpse into the life of a Mormon missionary living in a foreign country. In this case, Elder McLeod (all Mormon missionaries are called Elder) is in Brazil with a native Brazilian who was recently converted by another pair of missionaries. While Elder Passos is fully devoted to the church, McLeod has a number of doubts after growing up in the religion. The pair clash over this and other subjects such as the politics of the US. The story is very much slice-of-life and comes across like it may be a fictionalized account of the author’s own experiences which makes it a fascinating read although there is no resolution at the end.
4/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Hogarth.