A Christian-themed debut novel about redemption and forgiveness.
After young Chris’ mother is killed in an accident for which Chris blames himself, he flees his hometown and its judgmental eyes to live with an aunt. Though remaining in the town’s consciousness, the incident goes largely uninvestigated for years; the matter, having found a scapegoat, remains painful though more or less settled. Elsewhere in the world, Art Wellington is a successful painter in his early 30s. In spite of his success, he manages a costly addiction to alcohol and a personal history that is a mystery even to those who know him well. When he is shot while walking home to his three-bedroom condo, the extent of his addiction becomes apparent. The shooting destroys one kidney, alcoholism works on the other, and his chances for survival are bleak until a mysterious young woman named Jessica offers herself as an organ donor. Smitten with the heroic young woman, Art pursues her following his recovery, and a difficult love affair blossoms. Where Art is an atheist who sees little advantage in helping others, Jessica is a devout Christian spending her days working with foster children. He takes to studying the Bible to help keep away from alcohol and undergoes a change that alters the course of his life. Will his interest in Christianity prove more than just a way to try and impress Jessica? How will this all relate to the death of Chris’ mother? Alternating between these two narratives until they eventually become intertwined, the novel grapples with issues of faith or a lack thereof. Succeeding in treating Art’s discovery of Christianity in a mature way, Baylis’ portrayal of Art’s transformation follows a believable path. Though tinged with blandness—particularly the small-town characters, who seem capable of considering little outside the realms of high school football and the Bible—the story nevertheless maintains an element of intrigue as readers wonder just how and when the two stories will interrelate.
Well-paced though dull in its portrayals of many characters, this novel plots a believable Christian transformation and has its payoffs.
Pub Date: April 22, 2014
ISBN: 978-1491727355
Page Count: 542
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.
This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of God. The women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved. An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1747-4
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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