Friday, June 3, 2011

THE CHAIR

I received an advance copy of THE CHAIR by James L. Rubart, from B&H Books. The cover depicts the corner of a chair, highlighted, against a wooden floor. Although plain, it is intriguing, and foretells a fascinating book. I sat down with only half-an-hour to read, and four hours later I was done with the story, although my household chores still needed completion. Overall, this is a fast, thought-provoking story with friendly characters.

Without giving too much away, the novel involves Corin Roscoe, the owner of an antique story. A mysterious woman gives him a chair, and her cryptic messages lead Corin to believe the chair was made by Jesus Christ. When he first touches the chair, he feels an electric shock, but then nothing. Shortly after, a little boy has an asthma attack in his store and sits on the chair. The boy and his family believe that the chair healed his asthma and the news story is placed on the Internet. With the help of the chair, Corin faces his belief in religion and his fears within himself.

The message in the story is very powerful, and opens the reader’s eyes to new beliefs in religious relics. The ending brought a huge smile to my face.

3 comments:

  1. Tell me more Jordan about the chair without spoiling it. This sounds a little like fantasy, and religion mixed. What does the writer say. Why do U smile at the end without telling me the ending. What's your favorite genre, I like mystery/fantasy, thrillers,romance, humor. Is this a religious book or is their just a hint of it-like
    a miracle in a relic chair?
    Agents own 15% of your work for the life of the book. Publicists get paid a flat fee and own nothing and they do a lot more for U.

    take care,
    Max

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  2. I was really afraid to give a spoiler, since it remains a mystery whether the relic actually heals people, up until the end. I wouldn't really consider it a religious book, but there is definitely a hint.

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  3. I read this book and really enjoyed it. It's not really a fantasy book at all, more suspense. The book is fast-paced but also explores the idea of what it means to be healed--inwardly and outwardly. The protagonist is man tortured by guilt over past mistakes. But he and all the other characters are multi-faceted, complex, and believable. He eventually--well, I don't want to give a spoiler--but we definitely see him change and grow. I highly recommend this book!

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