Bio
Ryan is a writer and web strategist, living and working in Ottawa, Canada, who graduated with a BA in English and Politics from Trent University in 2002. He enjoys writing fiction, running, and going on long nature walks with his two daughters. Ryan previously published, Events Quarterly, an online magazine which showcased short stories, poetry, articles, interviews, and digital art work from writers and artists around the world. Some of the more notable interviews included Tiffany Thiessen (Saved by the Bell), Steve Alten (NY Times Best Selling Author), and Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies).
He has worked on social media campaigns, email marketing, and many web sites and online campaigns.
Trigger Warning
Our story is told with an omniscient third person narrator, whose words eloquently relay a tale of our main character, Carrick Philip Ares. Our story begins with a very grey sort of existence. As the readers, we’re left with the immediate sense that Carrick is in a life not lived.
“He was the kind of person who has forgotten why he is here. He was boring, and proudly so.”
His existence is sad, yet he seems to strive to be average and unknown.
The books writer, Emily Scialom, writes every sentence in such a beautiful and honest way that it’s impossible not to think that she has somehow lived part of this story and that she is really the narrator, especially when the narrator talks about Beth, a former girlfriend of Carrick’s.
“The clouds of inquisition which had been covering his feelings towards Beth also changed, and the dream that was fuelled by a sense of immense desire and desperation then was clearly manifested: he was in love.”
Carrick’s story quickly weaves through different relationships that we keep thinking will bounce him out of his unusual feelings of nihilism mixed with an extreme ability to conform. As the reader, you want to grab Carrick and shake him, tell him to show his emotions, to feel, to let others know who you are so they can truly love you too. You want him to be honest and open, to show integrity. People couldn’t do this for Carrick though, but his entire world gets shaken, turned up side down by a very important life and death experience.
Carrick comes out of this a changed man, not in ways that you might expect. The Religion of Self Entitlement is a not a drama or action novel. It is wise and philosophical. While the first few chapters take you into Carrick’s past, letting you know who he is, the rest of the pages show you who he has become, how he has changed others around him, maybe how he has changed the world. Most of all though, Carrick changes you, the reader.
If you love religion, science, and philosophy, this is a great story to pick up. It will challenge some of your beliefs and maybe even allow you to think at a higher level.
While our writer is female, a quote from Carrick himself nicely sums up what this book is about.
“A new way of thinking about things. The guy’s basically put together a thousand different things and made them all seem like they were always meant to be together. It’s ridiculous! I really can’t explain it, but it’s good.”