A. J. Cronin’s novel The Keys of The Kingdom headed the bestseller list in 1941. It was still on the list in 1942, although it had dropped to tenth place.
The novel remains good entertainment today. It is an intriguing character study of someone who finds that fitting is definitely overrated. Keys’ lead character, Francis Chisholm, the missionary priest to China’s “rice Christians,” could probably have answered “yes” to each of Leonard Felder’s 15 self-analysis questions to determine if one is an “insightful outsider.”
A full review of the novel is included with the 1941 bestsellers.
© 2012 Linda Gorton Aragoni
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