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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Violence on the alien world; the systematic destruction of a character's body and dignity in the climax
Language
Some
Adult language
Sexual Content
Some
Sexual content including a deeply traumatic rape that is gradually revealed to be at the novel's center
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The extreme psychological and spiritual destruction of the protagonist is the novel's subject; the horror accumulates slowly and devastatingly; requires emotional preparation
What this book is about
In 2019, SETI picks up beautiful music from Alpha Centauri. The Jesuits, as they have throughout history, are the first to send a mission. Father Emilio Sandoz is the sole survivor. He returns to Earth mutilated and unable to speak about what happened. Russell's structure moves between the present interrogation of Sandoz and the past mission—gradually, horrifyingly revealing what was done to him and why. The Sparrow is a novel about faith, contact, and the terrible gap between good intentions and devastating consequences. One of the most powerful science fiction novels of the 1990s.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
A rape that is revealed gradually and is the novel's center of gravity
Extreme psychological destruction of the protagonist
A profound meditation on faith that ends in shattering doubt
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