You know what a Faust story is. It has a plot that features a characterselling his soul to the devil in return for some temporal reward --money, fame, women, whatever. At some point, the character realizesthat he sold his soul too cheaply, and wants out of the deal. Hisstruggle to get out forms the fundamental conflict of the story. InAmerica, the most familiar examples of a Faust tale are Stephen VincentBenet's short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster," the musical "DamnYankees," and the film "Oh God, You Devil." In Contract_With_an_Angel, Rev. Andrew Greeley turns this venerableliterary tradition on its head. The novel asks, "what if a ruthless,successful businessman, upon getting a warning that something terriblewas going to happen to him, sold his soul to an angel -- who could thenrequire, by the terms of the contract, that the man undo the many hurtshe has caused?" The people the novel's protagonist has hurt include aformer lover, a wife, a son, and various former business partners andrivals. At times, it looks like he'll never make good. But like a goodclergyman, Greeley reminds us that "with God, all things are possible."With his impish Irish wit, Father Greeley takes us on an enjoyable rompthrough the pain, the embarassment, and the relief that comes withtrying to make good on our past misdeeds, all the while remaining trueto the fundamental formula that runs through his novels: the men arejerks, the women are sacraments, i.e., outward manifestations of theundeserved love of a passionate God.
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