THE ROAD TO GOD

The author sent me an autographed copy of his novel to review:

When I first got a hold of this novel, I thought it was going to be one of those Holy Roller publications. Then when I got into the book, I thought that this novel was heading for the road to perdition. But it’s really a mixture of these two predominant religious/anti-religious pathways. In my opinion, Anthony Rhine wrote a credible story balancing the inner happenings of a large Christian Church (not sure what denomination but most likely Protestant), and the mystery of afterlife. This book didn’t seem like it would work, but it did in a far-reaching way. The novel held my interest for all of the 346 pages. I’m not sure I can compare this novel with another since the subject matter is so diverse. As a sidebar to the story, the reader is also educated on the differences between Scientology (all eight dynamics), Buddhism, Mormonism, and Hinduism from page 222 through page 241. So what is this story about? Okay, it’s time for a synopsis.    

Our protagonist and narrator is Daniel Bolton. Dan has an unusual trait passed onto him by his mother. He can talk to the dead (mentally) right after they die, normally between four to ten days after passing. The dead are always in a dark transition room waiting to see the light. He has learned bits and pieces of information from them over the years. It seems that the light is called concatenus, which is a place where all spirits go to be linked together and share the intelligence with the whole (God?). Some of the dead get reincarnated instead of going back into the light. Dan is not sure about the people who are going to hell since he has never talked to one. On page 84, Dan states, “You see, enough chats with spirits in transition have given me small glimpses into what awaits us beyond this earthly world, and I have been able to piece those glimpses together to get a sense of where we are going.”

After High School, Dan gets a job with the Elizabeth Community Church as an actor in a play being performed at the church. The Pastor, Greg Woolfe, is a vile, bigoted man married to Violet Black, a cold, offensive assistant to the pastor (these are the road to perdition people). Somehow Dan prospers at the church and keeps moving up the ladder until he is on equal footing with Violet. Greg sends both of them to the seminary for gratis with the stipulation that they have to stay with the church until he retires. Greg and Violet have many poisonous foul mouthed arguments throughout the novel. Then Dan has a one-night stand with Violet (very bad move). Subsequently, Dan falls in love with a teenage actress, Melissa, acting in one of their plays at the church. He now has the obnoxious Violet Black as a enemy for life. The affair with Melissa is also going to cause grief for Dan in the future.

What I liked about the novel was the way the author switched back and forth from the church activities to Dan’s talks with the dead. Most notable was Dan’s discussion with a dead man named Chen. Apparently, they were speaking Mandarin. They had a long talk while Chen was in the dark transition room. On page 246, Chen says, “I can tell you this: I was right  to live a good life. I was right to believe that I would one day be where I am now and I was right that I  would eventually go back to where I am to go back to.” “Concatenus?” I (Dan) wanted to say it again, seeking further confirmation. “Daniel, that is only a word” (answers Chen). This is some good stuff. So what I am wondering is this: Does the author believe in the afterlife that he describes in this titillating story? Well, maybe he will post a comment on this review and reveal his thoughts. Listen, I only gave you tidbits of what this novel is about, there is much more woe ahead for our hero Dan in the ensuing pages. I highly recommend this enlightening novel, so go out and buy your own copy.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: Having previously read Mitch Albom’s The First Phone Call from Heaven: A Novel and Eben Alexander’s Proof of Heaven (both reviewed on my blog), this is the third novel that I have read recently dealing with the afterlife. I’m not sure if it is because I’m getting old or just coincidence. There are two more novels dealing with the afterlife that I want to read:

Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones . goodreads.com says: "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, THE LOVELY BONES succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

The second book is Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven . goodreads.com says: “Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer.”

“In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"

Is this what the transition room from Anthony Rhine’s novel looks like?