Five novels for Christians

Leland Ryken recommends five novels that Christians should read.

With the two criteria of edification and entertainment or enjoyment serving as a platform, here are five novels that I feel comfortable recommending to Christian readers.

These novels are:

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz
The Stranger by Albert Camus

Ryken writes:

Does God care about what novels we read? He does. He expects us to exercise good stewardship of our time, which includes a realization that leisure is a Christian calling in the sense that God commands it.

With that as a starting premise, what constitutes a good use of our leisure time? Growth. Leisure can edify as it refreshes.

I'm most curious about The Hammer of God. I read Great Expectations and The Stranger many years ago. Thanks, Ate Sharon, for the link!