On the Edge of Infinity

Michael O’Brien is, I believe, the greatest living Catholic novelist, so it is high time someone wrote his biography. Fortunately, Clemens Cavallin, the biographer chosen by Michael and divine Providence, is up to the task. He avoids the common pitfalls of the genre: muckraking or hagiography on the one hand and rationalistic detachment or irrational subjectivity on the other. Three stories are interwoven in this book, as in O’Brien’s life: the external, material story of his family and the places he has lived; the internal, spiritual story of his faith and thought; and the literary and artistic story of the creation and fate of his novels and paintings. The story is clear, comprehensive, compassionate and character-driven. Like a great novel, it shows, rather than tells us, who and what he is. If readers of his riveting novels want the additional adventure of getting to know the author, this book is the way to do it. There are not many people in the world who are more worth meeting. ~ Peter Kreeft, Boston College

It is a rare experience to read a biography whose subject comes alive as one turns the pages. Clemens Cavallin brings to this book his gifts as a writer, but also his profound sympathy with his subject, a combination which has given us a work worthy of Michael O’Brien. On The Edge Of Infinity ranks among the great biographies. ~ Richard Bastien, Book Review Editor, Convivium magazine