Forest relates in his introduction that the purpose of this book is to help revive the once common practice of confession among Christians, which has been abandoned or neglected, to help the reader prepare a better confession and to help those who hear confessions better serve as Christ's witness. The author, who describes himself as an Orthodox Christian and who lives in the Netherlands, begins with a brief history of the tradition. He draws on scripture, stories from the saints, personal experiences, and even Dostoevsky's novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. Forest explains the key elements in confession and discusses the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Last Judgment, and the Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian (recited by Orthodox Christians daily throughout Lent). Forest also explores the subject of finding a confessor and offers a selection of stories about confessions culled from his friends--laypeople, nuns, monks, and priests. This informative book includes a list of biblical texts to read in preparing for confession. George Cohen
