Trust in Times of Trouble - The Robber’s Cave
Article by Carter Cada - Written 9/20/2023
What makes a good story?
As both a blogger and avid reader/writer, I think a lot about books. I make notes on what I think about many, and only a select few of these make it onto my blog for the public. Across various social platforms, I have engaged in discussions with both experts and fans of the storytelling aspects of not only books, but also movies, video games, TTRPGs, as well as many, many other forms of media.
My point is, I generally feel pretty confident pointing out both the weak and strong points of a story.
Yet, as a critic, it is so easy to analyze a work from a merely critical aspect when there is no connection between the critic and the product. How that connection affects their criticism is important, as well as why the connection exists.
The Robber’s Cave is one of the very few books that I hold a special connection to. Through the years, I’ve had many different reasons why I had a connection to a book; whether it really opened my eyes, taught me something new, or even changed the way I lived.
Amongst all of these reasons why, however, I have a connection with a very few indeed because they were simply good.
The Robber’s Cave is one of those books.
Good doesn’t even really begin to describe this book. Out of the probably dozens of books I’ve read in my lifetime, this is one of the only that I would recommend simply because I enjoyed it.
As to the how of how this affect my criticism… Well, it makes it infinitely more difficult.
To discern between the flaws and good parts of the book would be nearly impossible. From my perspective, everything is done well. Pacing, character development, plot, story arc, emotion, and suspense are all there, measured and metered in a delicate symphony.
Is the book perfect? Probably not. But I can almost guarantee that you’ll enjoy it.
What makes a good story? Too many things to list here; that will have to be a discussion over on my Quips for the Quipper page.
But the short answer? A good story looks like this.
The Robber’s Cave
Horace sat sweltering beneath the hot Italian sun. instinctively, he reached his arm up to wipe his brow. He was painfully reminded of the shackles that bound his wrists when a sharp pain shot through his other wrist. In frustration flared by both the heat and his pain, he bashed the shackles against the wall of stone beside him. After a few muttered words of complaint against his lot, he consoled himself with knowing that, at least the heat wasn’t so bad here at the mouth of the cave. Hopefully soon, too, Raphael would return. At least then he would have someone to talk to…even if it was only about religious matters.*
The Robber’s Cave is another of the books by A.L.O.E. (link to the other here). In the book, Horace, a young man concerned only with himself, and his mother are travelling the Italian countryside (specifically Calabria) and are assaulted by bandits due to both Horace’s selfishness and carelessness.
Horace is captured by the bandits, who tell his mother that he will only have a few days left to live unless she can procure a ransom for him from the government, as well as the freedom of the bandit chief’s son, who is currently awaiting execution.
What follows is one of the greatest stories I have ever read. With everything from suspense to conversion, and even incredible character backstory and resolution, The Robber’s Cave is perhaps the greatest book you will read all year (maybe even longer).
One of the greatest complaints that I have with most stories is that many have a plethora of characters that advance the plot but feel closer to a cardboard cutout that an actual person.
They speak and interact with the world around them, advancing the plot, but they do not exist as independent agents - as real people.
The Robber’s Cave has no such issue. Every character, from Horace, to the Bandit Chief, to a maid working at an Inn for the first half of one chapter feels fleshed out, and like real people.
The book doesn’t stop there, though. Many of the characters have backstory that the reader learns throughout the story, opening their eyes as to why characters behave the way they do.
In fact, the story goes the second mile even here. While the backstories for each character could simply serve as motivation, many of them serve as integral plot points for the story as a whole. Some even have resolutions that occur throughout the course of the book.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, the book has a heavy focus on trusting in God, even when it seems absolutely impossible that things could get any better. The Robber’s Cave also shows, though, that, while not every part of God’s plan is what we would have wanted, everything he does for those who trust in Him will be everything they ever could have hoped for.
If you never pick up another book this year, if you never read another article or short story, I would implore you to make THIS the book you chose. You will find your faith strengthened, and your heart encouraged.