by Leah Larson
Warmus, John. The Institut. St. Petersburg, FL: Barclay Books, 2001
In The Institut, John Warmus presents a fictional world that is a cross between The Name of the Rose and The X-Files. Although many who are used to a grittier type of horror might not classify The Institut within the genre, Warmus subtly creates an atmosphere that is--at least to me--creepier than more blatant blood and gore thrillers.
The story opens in Brittany in 1938, during a particularly violent storm. While trying to defend his church from the storm's fury, Father David Proust is overcome by a sensual and very realistic vision--the nature of which he really doesn't understand (this being in the days before the current priest sex scandals!). Proust's encounter during the storm results in a physical breakdown, but his doctors cannot find anything wrong with him. Proust's father asks the doctors to carefully check David's heart because his uncle (also a priest) died young and suddenly of heart failure. The doctors swear that David's heart is in good condition.
In the village a young girl commits suicide after neatly folding her clothes. Fr. Proust is horrified when he sees her photo in the newspaper because she is the girl he dreamed he had sex with. In spite of rumors that the girl may have been pregnant, the doctor performing the autopsy swears that the girl died a virgin. A second girl dies in similar circumstances, also after David had an erotic encounter with her in his dreams. Once again, the girl was rumored to be pregnant. Once again, the doctor determined from the autopsy that she died a virgin. The two doctors--Fr. Antoine Curvise and François Martine--make a connection between the girls' strange deaths and David Proust's dreams. Eventually, they work with their old friend, detective Edmund Defont, to try to solve the mystery. After a third virgin dies--this time a young nun--it becomes impossible to deny than David is somehow connected. This time, even though virginity is once again proven, the autopsy reveals that the nun was carrying a very strange fetus.
When Fr. Antoine reveals his suspicions to his superior, the Church decides to take action. David disappears in the middle of the night, supposedly reassigned to a different ministry. The doctors, joined by the detective, continue their investigation. Within a few months the word reaches them that Fr. David Proust is dead, and like his uncle is killed by sudden heart failure. Dr. Curvise wants to find out what really happened to David, and shares his suspicions with his superior. As a result, Dr. Curvise also disappears sent to Eastern Europe to a remote fortress where the Church sends those priests who have become an embarrassment or a liability. There he finds David very much alive. Martine and Defont follow him to this hidden corner of Catholicism, and together they learn of David's otherworldly mission.
To be any more specific about the plot would be to ruin the experience for other readers. This book is certainly well worth reading, but much of its appeal depends on surprise plot twists and revelations. Warmus presents us with a very intriguing idea--one that calls into question the very underpinnings of Christianity. Some readers, especially devout Christians, may find this book very disturbing. If you aren't willing to look at Christianity in a completely different way, stay away from this book.
However, those who don't mind having their ecclesiastical world stretched a bit will certainly enjoy The Institut. This is because Warmus does a good job of creating characters. The trio of heroes-Curvise, Martine, and Defont--are especially well developed. Curvise (the doctor/priest), Martine (the doctor/Communist) and Defont (the insightful detective) had been lifelong friends. This friendship among these three very different types radiated a believable warmth. All three struggle to come to terms with the revelations they discover at the Institut. Of the minor characters, the priests at the Institut are particularly well done. David Proust is bit undeveloped and stiff, but perhaps that is due to the nature of his character.
Warmus is obviously knowledgeable about the history and practices of the Catholic Church. He presents an institution peopled with clerics who represent the full spectrum of morality, from the truly evil to the truly good. Those who come off the worst in this book are the moral cowards, those who refuse to do what is right but who also refuse to stop the evil doers. The Institut itself is a chilling place. It is geographically close to Dracula's Transylvanian castle and gets much the same reaction by the villagers. It is a cursed place, a place separate from the world, a place of no return. Although I have hard time believing in vampires, I find the idea of the Church having a place to hide its embarrassments where they will never harm others to be plausible. While reading this book I also read daily newspaper accounts of pedophile priests, accounts which made Fr. Proust's sensual dream encounters seem very tame by comparison. I wondered if the concept of the "Institut" might be a much better option than reassigning these sexual offenders to other parishes--that is if the Church is interested in covering up these offences rather than ending them.
The book does have a few problems. When I finished it, I felt that it needed one more draft to reach its potential. It still has some annoying grammar problems--for example misuse of "lie" and "lay"--problems that a really good editor should have easily caught. Also, there are gaps and loose ends. In the beginning a big deal was made of the fact that all the girls neatly arranged their clothes in a particular way before they killed themselves. However, the significance of this action was never explained. In addition, after the leisurely pace of the book, the last few chapters seemed rushed and sketchily written, as if the author was trying to meet a deadline.
On the whole, I enjoyed this novel. Despite the grammar problems,
Warmus has a very elegant yet easily readable style. I liked the
characters. I liked the depth of setting, atmosphere, and character
development. Most of all I liked the book because it made me think.