A review of Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Hinds Feet on High Places is a spiritual allegory dealing with the journey of the crippled Much Afraid as it transforms into lithe Grace and Glory. The book takes its inspiration from Pilgrim's Progress and the Bible and is well written. However, it is difficult to read it as a novel, as some elements are not properly explained.

The basic story

The main character Much Afraid is a girl dwelling in the valley of humiliation, with a deformed mouth, crippled feet and an obnoxious family, who exploit her. Led by the Chief Shepherd, an allegory of Christ, she journeys across a spiritual landscape that includes deserts, precipices and peaks until she reaches the Kingdom of Glory and meets the King [God]. She is transformed into Grace and Glory and her deformities healed. Spiritual landscape In Hind's Feet on High Places, the features of the landscape and the names of her relatives correspond to problems in the spiritual life. The book owes much to Pilgrim's Progress, but also to the Bible, as there are extracts from the Song of Songs, which chart her growth in love and the spiritual life. There are also Biblical images taken from the Transfiguration [Mark 9:1-8] and from Isaiah chapter six.

Positive points

The book is beautifully written in a lucid style of one who understands her subject matter. The author has a deep knowledge of the Bible, both of specific texts and themes, and is capable of weaving them into an entrancing narrative. The spiritual landscape of deserts, mountains, forests and gardens is beautifully described, showing the author's gift for description, but she never degenerates into purple prose. The central character arouses our pity and interest, and we identify with her inadequacy and are eager to follow her journey. This journey owes much to the Christian mystical tradition, possibly to the works of St John of the Cross, a Spanish mystic, whose image of the ascent up the mountain of God has inspired this book. Hind's Feet therefore draws upon both Catholic and Protestant traditions, and this is a strength.

Negative points

The weaknesses lie in looseness in the story. How is it that Much Afraid's nasty relatives can reach places that she has had to toil to? For example, she has had to scale a precipice on a narrow path, but they have somehow reached the top ahead of her. Furthermore, the Shepherd is always instantly there when she asks. While it reflects the Christian belief that God always responds, it does not easily work in a novel. This book should not be read as a novel and is not for entertainment, but for careful, reflective reading.