Priest or Pagan

This forgotten 1933 novel by John Rathbone Oliver, published by Knopf, mixes Dickensian elements of hidden identity with a dash of the occult as two men -- one a priest, the other a pagan -- fight for the soul of a young man orphaned at birth by the death of his mother. It is a long, twisted tale with a full cast of characters and a good amount of suspense and drama. Oliver (1872-1943) was a psychiatrist who studied under Freud, later a criminologist, and also took religious training. This novel, considered his most successful, is entertaining and worthwhile.