Enter George: Serenity graces a facility for the criminally insane.

This plot sounds familiar enough, I thought, when I fist opened the book. Who hasn't read the tale of a messiah entering a place in which depravity and confusion thrive... And yet Song of George is surprisingly nuanced, reaching out beyond the obvious nature of the characters' desperation and potential for renewal and faith, the text reaches beyond the obvious cliche of a messiah leading those astray. Rather, Song of George was outlined thoroughly and yet with enough subelty to allow for characters that exemplify nuances of humanity. This book was no easy feat to pull off; it would have been very easy for the subject to seem cliche or the characters to fall into stereotypical holes, but Song of George worked as a literary piece, in the most important way. Hanson created a journey that tackles the intimidating subject of spirituality with philosopher's pragmatism and a mystic's acceptance of the unknown. A curious and beautiful book.