This is a fascinating meditation on faith and hope from one of Britain's most important writers. "Religion", this book begins "is a mistrusted word now", and Nicholas Mosley, in this engaging meditation, seeks to repair that trust. Rather than trying to compel or convince the reader to accept his beliefs, he describes how religion functions in the modern world. Elsewhere, Mosley has written, "There is a subject nowadays that is taboo in the same way that sexuality was once taboo, which is to talk about life as if it had any meaning". One of the most important English writers of the post-war period, Mosley's experiences have contributed to an outlook that is rarely expressed by someone of his stature. He writes not to persuade, but to explain a worldview that is refreshing for the hope and intelligence it contains.