AP

Book Review: Enigma: Help and hope for life in a confusing world

By Hollie Zimmermann

Author: Pete Adlem

Publisher: Available on Amazon, Kindle and Audiobook

Year: 2024

This book sets out to address the big questions of our time: the purpose of life; how to find meaning; the question of identity and the role of suffering in human existence.  The author gives a full explanation of the Christian Gospel, in a way that affirms faith.  Adlem uses the book of Ecclesiastes as the basis for his work.  The result is a pastoral work which draws on decades of ministry experience, and deals with every aspect of humanity to guide the reader across life’s big questions.  It is done with wisdom, wit, sensitivity and philosophical insight that makes this book worthy of reading.  Like an artwork, different viewers may value and appreciate different aspects – the individual chapters – depending on where they are in their life journey.

The book is divided into three sections, the first is “Acknowledging the Enigmas of Life”.  It grapples with the viewpoint of knowing how God understands what each of us has been through in life.  The chapters are short and can be consumed quickly, each one feeding into the next.  From Ecclesiastes’ beginning of “chasing after the wind”, each reader should be able to see his or her own personal examples under chapter headings such as “When life if repetitive and monotonous”; When life is empty…unfair…cruel…”.  Each chapter is set out with examples from popular culture the reader will likely be familiar with.

The second section of the book covers “Finding help to cope with the Enigmas of Life”.  This section sets out recommendations for living a good life and how to find happiness in simple pleasures.  There were several chapters in this section that I found myself re-reading.

The final section of the book is “Finding Hope Beyond the Enigmas of Life”.  This is a full explanation of the Christian Gospel and is all about Jesus. This section urges the reader to “Pray quietly, remember God”.  It speaks to the mysteries of God, suffering, purpose and death.  Weighty topics indeed, culminating in the Gospel and love of Jesus.

This book is wise, accessible, readable, practical and helpful.  It is of value to general readers, those working in ministry and as a gift and guide to non-Christians who may be asking questions, seeking answers or struggling through times in their own lives where they might hear a modern voice speak of the wisdom of Ecclesiastes.  Indeed, for all those who require encouragement, help and hope in a confusing world, for“Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people.  He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.  The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.”