The novel The Book of Strange New Things Michel Faber is a thoughtful novel written in 2014 about a christian pastor, Peter Leigh, that is invited to go on a mission to another planet also known as Oasis. Michel Faber started writing seriously at about age 14 while living in Australia but never published any of his writing until his second wife, Eva, pushed him to. From then on he has published around six novels and several short stories all leading up to this novel as his last. Through foreign environments, detailed descriptions of imagery, and the influential use of secondary characters, Faber is able to created an award nominated novel that takes you through the experience that Peter encountered in his mission on this strange planet. Faber …show more content…
When Peter finally returns from the Oasian settlement, he sits down to read Bea’s mail from the shoot. He opens one of the emails and it reads “Are you sitting down? I hope so. Darling I’m pregnant”. (Faber 753). From this point forward in the novel, it continues to influence him in a way that he becomes more fatherly to Oasians especially Jesus Lover Five. When Peter is brought to the USIC hospital due to dehydration, he looks over to realize that Jesus Lover Five is on the table next to him. He is more concerned about the wellbeing of her than he is of himself by him referring to bible verses such as “ Nothing shall hurt you, said Luke. When thou walkest through fire, thou shalt not be burned, said Isaiah. The Lord healeth all thy diseases, said Psalm”.(Faber 1533) showing he wanted nothing more than the health of her. Therefore, he revealed his new found paternal instincts. If Bea were to have not told him that she was pregnant, Peter would not have grown so attached to the Jesus Lovers as if they were his own kids. So, Faber did indeed use secondary characters to influence the novel the way other characters