Openiel, Behind the Fans

In ‘O’ Peniel, Behind the Fans’, people use hand fans at church to cover up their indescretions. The preacher, himself, seems to always go out of his way to discover any hidden secrets about people around town. And he has no problem blatantly exposing these secrets directly to that person; while yet still letting others know he knows of those indiscretions in his unsympathetic sermons. He even unexpectedly preached about himself in one of his sermons. But yet, he’s still so quick to point out other people’s wrongdoings. This makes you wonder if he’s unblemished, as well. One person, though, seems to have figured that out early on, but it’s not Rhyah. Rhyah, the young girl portrayed as the book’s witty narrator, demonstrates that life is full of mishaps and issues and that they are simply a part of life. Thus, we all make mistakes! She, too, has created a problematic secret of her own. One, of which she has hid for several months. It’s also one, which causes immense frustration and shame upon people. But, she makes a grand revision to her issue by directly confronting ‘it’; allowing everyone to know that things like this may walk up on us, but they do not have to overtake our lives. Additionally, the book’s theme is given from a (somewhat) biblical perspective that seems to enhance the value of it.