One need not read an interview with Blatty to recognize this novel as the product of years of a well articulated, self-examined life. If the cliché rings true, and good writers begin with writing what they know, then Bill Blatty can be said to have written about the things he knows perhaps better than anyone: the hopeful grief of the faithful, the Problem of Evil balanced by what he calls the "Mystery of Goodness," and the power of that goodness when channeled by those ready to let it work within them.
The editorial and reviewer plot synopses cannot do justice to the tightly woven suspense of this novel, due to elemental spirituality that lies beyond the gripping plot and elevates the work to something more than a "thriller." As is typical of Blatty, his characters are eccentric, complicated, at times funny, and likeable. For the long-time Blatty fan, this novel will provide some rewarding moments of the off-beat humor within his previous work, but this book is noticeably different also.
No one else writes quite like this author. This has been evident at least since The Exorcist, and in Dimiter, we see a unique and gifted author at his most refined. His sentences are at once long, rhythmic, and beautifully descriptive. We are allowed to experience not only the artful presentation of bad things that happen to good people and the ensuing, surmounting dread, but also a good long look at an inexplicable goodness that causes evil to scream its throat raw and in vain.
And the beautiful thing is - the mystery retains its mystery.