Genre:
Coming of Age/Literary/Satire
Description:
“Mormon
missionary/onetime hedonist Kenny Feller has realized that God isn’t
about to give him an ounce of the miracle power he needs to succeed
on his mission—as promised. What’s more, he’s concluded that,
frankly, people aren’t worth the trouble. Then his new junior
companion shows up—the wisecracking Jared Baserman—and
immediately starts hearing heavenly voices and seeing fantastic
visions. For Kenny, it is immediately clear that God has sent Jared
to propel him into Mormon Manhood.
But
Kenny’s not the only person who takes note. Interests both virtuous
and malevolent cozy up to Kenny and Jared, eager to make use of
Jared’s gifting. At first, Kenny takes this as a sign that his
perceptions of Jared are spot on. God is using Jared.
But
something’s not quite right.
Specifically,
why in the hell would God choose someone as slope-shouldered as
Jared—someone so unreligious, so strange—to be a channel for His
supernatural power? He doesn’t even read the Book of Mormon. Plus
he smells funny. As their tracting grows fruitless and Jared’s
messages grow more bizarre, Kenny begins to wonder: Is Jared really
touched by God?
And,
if so, does God know what He’s doing?
A
Danger to God Himself is
a scathing takedown of religious certainty, a life-affirming tale set
in 1970s Washington state—equal parts spiritual road map and
coming-of-age tale.”
Author:
A
fulltime writer his entire adult life, newspaperman John Draper
always wanted to write a novel. But between work and family
obligations (he has three kids), he was half a century old before he
was able to find the time to start. A resident of Washington state,
this is Draper's first novel.
For
more, visit Draper's website.
Appraisal:
Sometimes
when I sit down to write a review I have multiple directions or
slants to go with my write-up. It's paralyzing, not knowing where to
start. This is one of those times. As with anything too complicated
to wrap your mind around at once, the best approach is to break it
into pieces. So that's what I'll do here, starting with a focus on
the basics of the characters and the story, moving into the religious
aspects, and finishing off with my ruminations on the kind of reader
who I think would be the most likely to enjoy A
Danger to God Himself. I
expect a lot of words will be spilled.
The
main characters are great. Kenny, a young adult (which we all know is
still just a kid) who does what's expected of him, even if maybe he'd
rather not. He's a type we've probably all seen, even if the
situation is different. His missionary companion, Jared, is a strange
duck, keeping the reader off balance, not sure what to make of him.
In the beginning, he provides comic relief, but he also drives much
of the story.
The secondary characters are all well formed as well,
each helping move the story forward. I especially liked Jared's dad
and sister who were integral to the story and to gaining a complete
understanding of Jared. Some of the characters are caricatures, not
in the sense that they aren't well formed or are flat. More in that
they may seem just a touch over the top, which is fitting for a story
that is satirical.
The
story is satirical in a couple ways. One is that it satirizes
religion, especially those who take what many consider to be myths
containing lessons to help in living a good life and interpret them
too literally. But on another level, Jared and everything that
happens to him is a satire of Joseph Smith and the founding of the
Mormon church.
Which
is a segue into the religious part. Those not familiar with Mormonism
might wonder how much of the story is realistic. The answer is that
while satirical, nothing here is out of the realm of possibility. In
fact, Mormonism has a long history of spawning splinter groups that
go way beyond the mainstream church. Even within the mainstream, the
culture rewards followers and extremism while discouraging critical
thinking or questioning of any kind.
That
last part is a clue of who this book isn't for. It's doubtful a
devout Mormon has read this far unless it is one of my still-faithful
sisters, wondering how far I've gone this time. This isn't the book
for them. However, anyone without a problem with taking a critical
look at religion, regardless of their personal beliefs, will find
much to like. I'll end this with a quote from the book. If you read
this and give a knowing nod, it is especially for you.
Mormonism
isn’t just a religion. It’s a way of being. Like alcoholism, I
guess. Alcoholics say they never stop being alcoholics, don’t they?
They’re always recovering alcoholics. Same thing with Mormonism.
It’s a culture. If you’re born a Mormon, you’re always a
Mormon—more so if you were actually raised in the church.
FYI:
Some
adult language and mild adult situations.
Format/Typo
Issues:
A
small number of typos and copy-editing misses.
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 90-95,000 words
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