I bought this book a long while ago while visiting London with a couple of friends. Working in a Catholic College, it became all the more interesting to get stuck into, though I was not a fan of the red page edges that others found notable.

The first chapter of this book I struggled to get into, but after that I quickly found my way, reaching about the halfway point and then resolving to read the remainder in one evening. It’s a book with several twists near the end, which made for a lot of excitement. The clanger dropped at the end leaves you wondering how the newly elected Pope will be treated in the course of their mandate.

For me, I really felt for the character of Cardinal Lomeli. Though not religious myself, Lomeli’s opening speech of the Conclave, where the Holy Spirit had taken over him, will stick with me. The defence of uncertainty and the attack on certainty, and in doing so making the case for humanity, faith, and hope, was really powerful and spoke to me. It’s a theme repeated throughout the book, with the inner thoughts of Lomeli expressed throughout, and even for example the Kant quote referring to the wonky timbers from which humanity is ultimately, inescapably made.

You don’t need any religious inclination to enjoy this book, and maybe if you are religious your experience of it will be different but hopefully still enriching. It’s easy to go through, exciting towards the end, and with a great protagonist that you feel for throughout.