cover image The Book of Extremely Common Prayer

The Book of Extremely Common Prayer

Nathaniel Whitten. Vitally Important Books, $8.95 paper (128p) ISBN 978-0-9774807-5-3

Whitten adapts the ancient practice of prayer to the everyday, anxiety-provoking hassles of the modern age in his humorous collection. Through his prayers, we see a narrator grappling with contemporary problems, from job interviews and finicky Wi-Fi to dieting and losing faith. What emerges is a portrait of our times that is both irreverent and tender. The narrator prays for simple things (getting his lost wallet returned and the wonders of an "automatic outdoor light sensor") and extravagant desires ("for my screenplay to be optioned by Warner Brothers" and "to run into Scarlett Johansson and have her fall for me big time") in his brutally honest and unmistakably human voice. Whitten blends his astute observations of modern woes with a search for meaning in the mundane to create a funny, earnest, and poignant collection of appeals.