THE STREAM: Keys to Peace is a short work of fiction designed to convey certain messages about belief and the searching nature of faith. Bob is a Christian who finds himself unexpectedly facing retirement due to job cuts, and has lapsed in worship and prayer. Upon reading a story concerning the conversations between a similarly searching young boy (Benito) and his religious grandfather, Bob becomes convinced that he and the fictional Benito are on the same path. Parallels in Benito’s quest for meaning and Bob’s own seem too powerful to ignore.
In a note to the reader, author Thomas W. Fargnoli explains his purpose in writing THE STREAM. It is, he states, a work “that encompasses many years of thought derived from many sources—all focused on finding a path to peace and joy.” He continues: “Isn’t peace what we all want? God wants it for us, too. He made us to strive for that peace—His peace. There are many paths to His peace. I present five.” These five paths are represented in the story by “five keys,” which Benito’s grandfather proclaims provide a way to peace: Perseverance, forgiveness, “preparing the soil,” prayer, and gratitude.
No one can doubt that several of the five qualities listed are (in most situations) entirely laudable ones, and that practicing them is frequently of benefit. Fargnoli also uses the framing device of a story within a story to good effect. But the issue with a work like THE STREAM is that the need to proselytize runs roughshod over the needs of a good story. For all of his musings over this or that happening, Bob’s spiritual journey is straightforward; he reads the story, ponders the significance of this or that passage, and moves forward as spiritual insights come to him. That is the extent of it. Bob’s puzzlement is easy to empathize with, but makes for poor fiction if not leavened with an element of tension or genuine suspense; and Benito’s story is similarly insufficient.
Nor does the emphasis on revealed truth inspire. After all, some people simply never experience anything of the sort, no matter how hard they pray for it. Bob’s wife’s excitement over his “epiphany” will ring hollow for those very many people who have, following the precepts of the fourth key, listened attentively for divine guidance and heard nothing but silence.
Written by Thomas Fargnoli, THE STREAM: Keys to Peace details one man's journey to spiritual meaning, but a lack of tension in the plot detracts from its readability.
~ Craig Jones for IndieReader