Having read The Great Divorce many times over the years, I’ve found this classic from the great C.S. Lewis to be full of startling clarity and depth on the differences between Heaven and Hell. The only thing both have in common is that both begin in the human will; we can either let Heaven enter us and rule in us to blossom into love and goodness, or allow Hell to infect and reign in our hearts by the daily refusal to submit to Heaven. Our hearts were created to be indwelt, unified with, and empowered by their Creator; without him we are merely a craving lack, a hunger, a restless need, and we will unsuccessfully attempt to fill that infinite need with the finite world.
The Great Divorce is a heart-forming book that clearly delineates what it means to live in union with Christ, and what it means to live and die without him. Heaven can exist in the worst outer circumstances if a human being relies on God in Christ; Hell will be our experience even in the best worldly conditions if we push away the Lover of our souls. This book is is a perfect companion to another Lewis classic, The Screwtape Letters.