BOOK REVIEW: The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters is a fictional story told through letters sent to a "junior tempter", Wormwood, by his uncle, Screwtape, a high-ranking demon in Hell. Screwtape writes a series of 31 letters to Wormwood, advising him how to effectively tempt a man into sin and, ultimately, damnation.

Through Screwtape, C. S. Lewis gives his views on how we are led into sin. Among Screwtapes many diabolical pieces of advice to his nephew is that "the safest road to Hell is the gradual one" and instructs him to successfully tempt his "patient" by keeping him stagnant in his personal life and through subtle, gentle nudges into sin. Screwtape urges Wormwood not to let his man think because reason will ultimately lead the patient towards God, whom Screwtape refers to as the Enemy. Wormwood is urged not to tempt the man into extravagant and obvious sin, but into smaller sin that can lead to larger sins. The biggest example of this is the temptation to pride in Letter XIV:

Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is specially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, “By jove! I’m being humble”, and almost immediately pride — pride at his own humility — will appear."

Lewis is a very self-referential author, and the Letters are very reflective of his theology and other writings, with references to The Four Loves and Mere Christianity making seeping in throughout Screwtape's advice.

The Screwtape Letters is one of C. S. Lewis' most popular and most well-known books, and for good reason. Through 31 short, one-sided letters written from a perspective that is separated from the present conflict of the novel, Lewis fleshes out a compelling story with complex characters and real stakes, while also seamlessly weaving in his views on God, sin, and virtue throughout the book.

I give The Screwtape Letters a solid 10 out of 10. If you are literate, you should read this book before you die.