Lent was recommended to me by a coworker and so I got my hands on a copy and then waited until Ash Wednesday to begin reading. Billed as a “historical fantasy thriller” and knowing what the surprise awaiting Girolimo was, I was anticipating something akin to Good Omens but without the humour. What I got was a theological rendition of the film Groundhog Day and the dullest demon I’ve encountered in literature. Heavily steeped in Catholicism, it was a chore to finish this book. Perhaps if I’d had any familiarity or interest in the subject or the man on whom the book is based, I would have found it more engaging. But I don’t and I didn’t.