While it is categorized as fiction/humour by its publisher, Roch Carrier’s Prayers of a Young Man could just as easily have been categorized as philosophy or religion. In this chronicle of one individual’s constant wrestling with his relationship with God, Carrier deals with an intensely philosophical subject in a light, sometimes laugh-out-loud fashion.

Following on the heels of the Leacock Award-winning Prayers of a Very Wise Child, Carrier’s latest book begins when the narrator is 11 years old and ends just before he turns 20. The 192-page novel spans almost nine years and 15 prayers – each chapter is a prayer with a specific subject: “Prayer for Snow Falling on the Rink,” “Prayer for Becoming Good at Something,” “Swearwords Prayer,” and so on.

Some of these are distinctly funny and easily illustrate why Carrier’s previous title won the Leacock Award; others are deeply serious and clearly demonstrate the conflicts faced by a child in the Catholic Church. In “Prayer of the Little Soldier Who Stands at Attention,” the young male protagonist is reaching puberty and must deal with new uncontrollable urges. This chapter is outrageously funny, and Carrier ably captures the embarrassment a boy feels when he is not completely in control of his body. To his credit, Carrier never falls out of step – there is never a hint of mockery, and the boy always speaks with the authentic voice of youth.

A healthy questioning of religious authority strikes in “Prayer of Someone Who Would Like to Know Where He Comes From.” The young man, now 15, interrogates God, putting to use his knowledge of literature, philosophy, history, geology, chemistry, mineralogy, astronomy, and popular culture in an effort to reveal that God’s teachings should not be followed blindly. This gives way to his ultimate rejection of the church in the novel’s final chapter, which parallels his entry into adulthood. Nevertheless, he makes clear his debt to God, emphasizing the notion that growing up in a religious environment makes it difficult, if not impossible, to completely negate religion’s influence.