The Screwtape Letters is a collection of letters from Screwtape, highly ranked assistant to Satan himself, to his less experienced nephew, Wormwood. As Wormwood does his best to rip his “client” from the clutches of Hell’s “Enemy” (God), Screwtape gives twisted and ruthless advice for how to make his nephew’s temptations more effective. The Screwtape Letters has long been a classic of Christian fiction, presenting a compelling and convicting list of behaviors, ideas, and fears that the devil uses to pull us away from God.

Long time no see! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a full review, but I’m back with my thoughts on The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I started a series on my Bookstagram called “Sanctifying my Library” and this book was my first pick. After being recommended it so much, it met and exceeded my expectations. Lewis’ writing style is somehow so beautiful even as he pretends to write from a devil’s point of view. My favorite moments were the ones where his love for God and amazement at the truth of the gospel bled through into Screwtape’s speech. This was probably the most impressive part of the book for me: despite the structure and premise of the book being rather upsetting, C.S. Lewis keeps the reader empowered and aware rather than merely afraid.

I could just tell how much Lewis hated writing from Screwtape’s point of view. Screwtape is just pure evil – he hates God, he hates God’s people, and he even hates the other demons around him. He’s a sick creature whose only drive is in consuming human souls and tearing them away from the Father. I can see how it could be harmful for both the author and reader to spend too much time contemplating life from this point of view. Luckily, the book is just long enough to offer plenty of unexpected insight without becoming to depressing. It was also just serious enough to not be ridiculous – I mean, a Christian book “from the devil’s point of view” would be cringy from anyone else – but also ridiculous enough to not be absolutely frightening. As a Christian myself, I was able to notice the subtext and sad truths behind Screwtape and Wormwood’s miserable existence and keep in mind my status as a daughter of the King.

I really forced myself to slow down with this book and really contemplate what it was trying to say and how it applied to my life. I read books really fast, so I made myself take notes throughout. Luckily, this book was full of noteworthy material. Each chapter had two really good insights about whatever topic it was addressing: 1) it points out the bad behavior/habit/thought that the devil wants to exploit and 2) points out the solution/comfort that God offers through the disdain of the devil toward God’s work. It becomes increasingly obvious as Wormwood struggles to hold on to his “client” that God always wins. These demons struggle in vain against an all powerful God that will pursue His people to the end of the Earth, and we can take comfort in that even as we remain aware that there is a war going on for our souls.

There are so many themes to think about here – so many topics in the Christian life that Lewis covers as the “client” struggles with his new faith. Overall, however, what really stuck out to me was the fact that the “great” sins are not the ones that condemn the most people. Most people are not murderers or thieves or have committed any number of “great” sins. Instead, most of hell’s residents are everyday people who rejected God in subtle ways over their lifetime. Obviously there are those who directly reject God but lead generally “good” lives and those who seem to love God but think their works will save them, but there are a ton of other ways actual Christians can find themselves far from the Lord. Most of these are slight downward spirals that the individual doesn’t take seriously until they don’t recognize their life anymore. Screwtape encouraged Wormwood over and over to push his client into these patterns: “surround him with prideful and cosmopolitan friends and make him feel better than both them and his Christian neighbors…” “fill him with either patriotism for the war or pacifism, it doesn’t really matter which – both are useful to our cause…” (paraphrases, to be clear). He seems to be exemplifying the idea that the Christian life is about balance. We must rightly order our loves, fears, and actions according to God’s will. What we do and what those who aren’t following God do is not as separate as it might seem at first. All good things are from God, and most “bad” things are good desires that the devil has twisted for his own gain. We must pay attention and take stock of our life regularly to make sure we are submitting everything to God.

The characters aren’t really the focus in this book, obviously. The two demon characters are representations of the “powers” that fight against God to claim our souls, and serve more to reveal the motivations of the Enemy than to be actual characters. The client, on the other hand, is a representation of us: though he is going through some particular experiences (war, new faith, a new girlfriend) he is left mysterious and generic to the reader. Because of this, we can see ourselves in him and see our souls reflected in the cosmic battle taking place. I thought this was a really helpful tool to show that yes, God is with us in our individual struggles, but also to show that He loves all of His people in a way we can never hope to understand.

I can confidently say that my first C.S. Lewis experience was a resounding success. I absolutely loved The Screwtape Letters for its apparent simplicity and readily available depth. So many of the topics Screwtape discusses both convicted me and gave me a way out. I finished the book full of hope, and with a deep appreciation for the God who protects me from the useless striving of demons like Wormwood and Screwtape. If you’re already a fan of Christian books, I’m sure you’ll love this one. If you’re like me and have struggled to read Christian books in the past (I have a couple saved Substack articles on why if you’re interested), I think The Screwtape Letters is a great place to start.