A Little Lower Than the Angels
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REVIEW BY GREGORY HARRIS
Suzanne Rosewell would have considered herself a thoroughly modern woman before the remarkable events that changed her life. Firmly grounded in the rational world by legal training and amply endowed with intelligence, talent and ambition, she became the youngest female to make partner in her Wall Street law firm. But then a mysterious and mesmerizing gentleman sends Suzanne on a quest to locate a group of special people described in an ancient Jewish legend. Undertaking the mission with some skepticism -- but for no fee -- she finds her long-dormant religious faith awakening and then severely tested in Marty Gallanter's praiseworthy novel, A Little Lower Than the Angels. Gallanter's work is a remarkable work of allegory that functions on several levels. In one light, his novel is a taut thriller about a young lawyer on a mission for a powerful corporation, aided and opposed by competing factions within the executive ranks. Yet there's also something magical about the people and events Suzanne experiences. An unexpected encounter with a corporate executive who moonlights as a jazz trumpeter sends Suzanne on a quest to locate some of the 36 Zaddikim, a group of righteous persons who, consciously or otherwise, know and act in accordance with the Divine Will. An ancient legend holds that the world's continued existence depends on these 36, and five seem to be missing. Though Gallanter skillfully employs foreshadowing that adds significance and even ominous overtones to prosaic episodes, the author wisely refrains from tipping his hand about either the story's major events or their true meaning. Coincidences can be interpreted as just that, a coincidence, or as mysterious workings of supernatural powers. By leaving events open to interpretation, he makes the book a spiritual journey on more than one level. One of the book's subtle pleasures is the way Suzanne's character takes on new and deeper dimensions. She begins the novel with all the traits of a lawyer straight out of a pulp boardroom thriller -- driven, intelligent and fiercely protective of her perks, brooking no familiarity from those she considers her inferiors. But the nature of her mission calls for her to truly connect with people, and she, to her surprise, finds herself accepting familiarity from those she meets. Those small intimacies fill a void in Suzanne's spirit that she hadn't known existed and cause her to re-evaluate a life that by most standards would be considered successful. Beautifully and thoughtfully phrased throughout, A Little Lower Than the Angels is a rare and unique work of great literary and spiritual power. Gregory Harris is a writer and editor living in Indianapolis with his angels, his wife Crystal and daughter Cecilia.
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