So I have just finished reading Whispers a Dean Koontz book which is nearly as old as I am. It was somewhat of a study in history since I had to keep reminding myself that detectives in the 70s didn't have the benefit of cell phones and DNA testing. However, the story was interesting and the writing style was up to par for Koontz. The characters were all well written and complete in their development.
The book had particular relevance to my current interest in the Theology of the Body. Unfortunately, the book contained the two most explicit sexual encounters which I have ever read in a popular novel but Koontz went to great lengths to mention the spiritual bonding which occurred during these encounters. The spiritual bonding or unitive aspect of marital relations had been sorely neglected in Catholic teaching at that point in time. In particular, during the turbulent 70s, many felt that the Church thought that sex was dirty and wrong. Even as Koontz typed this novel, a great Pope was writing an exegesis to enlighten us and deepen our understanding of sexual relations. He reclaimed the passion of the Song of Songs without weakening the wise laws which protect marital intercourse from being non-unitive. In a backwards way, the book reinforced the fact that contraception can destroy the spiritual union since contraception was completely neglected. No mention of putting on a condom at the critical moment, no mention of a daily pill, for there would have been nothing romantic about the gesture of cutting off part of their bodies from each other.
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