Reverend Luke is a Methodist minister. Each spring, his church puts on a version of the Passion Play, and this year the role of Jesus has been assigned to a young deaf man named James, with his brother Marcus acting as a sign language interpreter. James gives the perfect impression of Jesus – young, innocent, persecuted – so when Luke finds him and his brother practicing BDSM in a local club, he is shocked and horrified that the young man is being used this way.

James, however, is not as sweet and innocent as he appears. When he threatens to reveal to the church officials that Luke and Marcus are lovers, Reverend Luke takes it upon himself to show James the error of his ways. If he must do so using pain and humiliation, so be it. It’s all in the name of God, anyway.

“Appearances can be deceiving.” This is the message of Martin Delacroix’s short story Passion Play. In this story, the main character, Reverend Luke, makes the mistake of judging James based on his deafness and his pretty face and finds that the young man is actually the exact opposite of his appearance.

I’m not sure what to think about this story. It certainly made me uncomfortable, but I suspect that this is the very response that the story is trying to elicit. None of the characters is especially sympathetic, especially Reverend Luke. Although on the surface he appears to want what is best for Marcus and James, even if that means physical punishment, he still gives me the impression of being something of a predator and not the holy man that he professes to be.

Don’t expect Passion Play to be a light entertaining read. Do expect it to make you think about the church and life and how these two may intersect in the most unexpected of ways.

Reviewed by: Whitney