"Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

The religious and spiritual symbolism in Anaya's book, Bless Me, Ultima blend beautifully with the powerfully described New Mexican setting and culture that surround the novel's main character, Antonio, and place him at the center of a series of thematic struggles including the classic struggle of good vs. evil, the difficult decision of choosing between one's apparent destiny and giving in to one's choices, and the intense discovery and formation of alternate beliefs in a …

…than enough to allow him to betray the doctrine he has been taught to believe in and risk finding out the hard way exactly how long an eternity is. The book's symbolism is far deeper than what I can describe, and it includes themes like free will vs. destiny that I have not mentioned. Overall I can say it is a well written book, with easy to recognize parallels to the inner-turmoil of the reader.