A Short Stay in Hell
Book 4 of "Deseret Dreamers"
Published in: 2011
Plot: Soren Johansson, an ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, has always believed in a joyful reunion with his loved ones after death. However, upon dying, he awakens in a Hell governed by an unfamiliar God, trapped in a vast library where his only escape lies in finding the book detailing his life. In this thought-provoking novella, author and philosopher Steven L. Peck presents a subversive exploration of eternity, leading readers through an afterlife that challenges everything they thought they knew.
Trivia: The author received the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) award for best novel, and Peck received the Smith-Petit Lifetime award from the AML in 2021.
We had another author visit last night—Steve Peck, author of A Short Stay in Hell. Given the nature of the story, author, and where we live, the readers were quite excited to talk about this disturbing novella in depth.
Peck started out by talking about his love for writing. Even though he is an evolutionary biologist, writing fiction is his passion. He talked about how much he loves getting feedback on his writing, especially when people “destroy” his writing. “It’s the most helpful part of writing, when people read it and critique it. I crave it.”
After he wrote this book, Peck remembers sitting in Sunday School and someone said “Families can be together forever” (an oft-repeated phrase in LDS church houses). He remembers thinking, “You don’t know what forever means!” The discussion leader dove into that aspect of forever. He pointed out a phrase he really liked in the book, “the eternity of monotony.” The leader said, “Honestly, that’s what prison feels like. We wake up and do the same thing every day. We’re dressed the same.” He also pointed out the line, “We just clung to each other as only the lonely and lost damned can understand." He said that line resonated with him because in prison, he often feels lost, lonely, and damned. And only people that have been inside can understand what that feels like.
Another reading chimed in, jokingly asking how Peck wrote about prison life so well. In the novella, the inhabitants of Hell are woken up at the same time everyday when the lights turn on, much like prison. “We don’t have any control over our schedule, much like the folks in the story,” he said. Peck laughed and said although he hasn’t spent time behind bars, he did serve in the military, which shares that aspect of a routine schedule.
People were raising their hands, wanting to share their favorite parts of the book. One reader jumped to the following line:
We can’t care about anything here. We can’t make a difference—all meaning has been subtracted, we don’t know where anything comes from or where it goes. There’s no context for our lives. We’re all white, equal ciphers, instances of the same absurdity repeated over and over. We try to scratch some hope or meaning out of it with our university, but ultimately there is nothing to attach meaning to. We’re damned.
The reader said there is absurdity in the sameness—that Hell would be a place where there is no difference, that everyone is the same. In the novella, there are no markers people can grab on to in order to separate themselves. The group liked this passage, as they are striving for meaning during their time in prison.
Our group was curious about Peck’s origin for this idea, and what is group of friends and colleagues thought about it. Afte rall, he is an active Latter-day Saint who teaches at BYU, and the premise of the novella is that LDS theology is incorrect. Peck said he believes humility is needed with any kind of belief system, whether it’s religious, political, or anything else. The simple question “But what if I’m wrong?” allows for humility and openness. The group agreed, that if everyone believes they are 100% correct in their beliefs, it’s limiting and doesn’t allow connection and empathy. One reader said that question and exploration gave Peck a lot of credence. He was a little hesitate to read the book, but once he saw Peck was open to ideas other than his own, the reader dove right in.
In the novella, there are rules for Hell. Rule #9 jumped out to one reader. The rule is: “Lastly, you are here to learn something. Don’t try to figure out what it is. This can be frustrating and unproductive.” The reader said, “I am in here to be rehabilitated. I’ve gone before parole boards for almost two decades and yet, here I am. It’s tough to not think about what I should be learning here. Another reader pointed out the “sections” of Hell, where people develop community. He said this is remarkably similar to prison. “The section you’re in can feel cut off from other sections. Things depend on your bunkmate and who you live by. You just have to go with it.”
The group loved the discussion. Everyone commented on the commitment to humility. One reader said, “Faith is difficult!” He really liked how this book didn’t condemn or condone anything. And everyone agreed that this idea of eternity is dizzying and a little scary. And little did Peck know that he wrote quite well about life in prison when he wrote this novella.
It was a fantastic night. Many thanks to Steve Peck for visiting with us. Next week, we’re talking about My Abandonment by Peter Rock. He won’t be visiting, but we’ll have some questions to send his way.
If you’d like to hear a crazy story that inspired A Short Stay in Hell, check out Peck’s appearance on NPR’s Snap Judgment.
We hope you’re reading something good! See you next week.
E.
If you would like to read A Short Stay In Hell here are some links:
