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“I've never read anything remotely like it, and I really enjoyed how Peters
created mystery throughout the story based on Nathan's character. Nathan,
having an invisible dog, Chewy, becomes a suspect characters from the very
beginning. As the story is told from the first person point of view, the reader
must note that all the information received is coming through Nathan
himself--and the fact that he can see his deceased dog ultimately forces the
reader to question everything Nathan says--including what he sees in terms of
Mary's spiritual icon and her healing properties. I thought this was an
ingenious way to tell the story, especially as it doesn't force the reader to
take a side with either the Catholic or Protestant religion. In fact, the story
itself isn't really about religious sects at all, but rather Nathan's
perception of events surrounding him.
Peters kept me on edge throughout the entire novel, especially as I attempted to analyze Nathan and all that he presents to the reader. I was surprised by the ending and found myself reanalyzing Nathan, especially as information concerning the icon became available, forcing me to change my opinions of him once again. This is a truly interesting look at the inner workings of human beings and I highly recommend it to all! Four stars!” Shana at A Book Vacation.
Peters kept me on edge throughout the entire novel, especially as I attempted to analyze Nathan and all that he presents to the reader. I was surprised by the ending and found myself reanalyzing Nathan, especially as information concerning the icon became available, forcing me to change my opinions of him once again. This is a truly interesting look at the inner workings of human beings and I highly recommend it to all! Four stars!” Shana at A Book Vacation.
A NIGHT OWL REVIEWS BOOK REVIEW
Reviewed by: Josie
When Nathan Gray, a young boy and town outcast, sees a drunken man fall and bash his head, he's worried the drunk has died. Then, miraculously, the man's head wound heals and he gets up and leaves. It's then Nathan notices the stain on the sidewalk looks like the Virgin Mary.
When news of the splotch and it's miraculous healing powers hits the national airwaves, pilgrims flow into the town. The townspeople decide to capitalize on their newfound wealth and turn the sidewalk stain into a roadside attraction. Amazingly, the splotch does seem to cure some people. Nathan, who's befriended the town's religious leaders, is a believer, but his mother, a nurse, is skeptical.
Meanwhile, Nathan has adventures with his invisible dog Chewy and naively inserts himself into the middle of a corruption scandal that leads to murder.
I loved An Imperfect Miracle. Told from Nathan's point of view, this story was charming, funny, and a bit scary at times. The way Nathan took things at face value, yet questioned everything felt very kid-like to me. It was delightful to dwell in his head for the duration.
Also the premise of the story is both hilarious and a comment on society and religion. Add to that the emotional depth (Nathan had an abusive father and is now coping with his mother's new relationship) and it becomes a brilliant story. I'll be looking for more work from this talented author.
Dec 15, 2011 | B005895OT0
Jeffrey Miller, The Curt Jester Blog
“When you get a book to review there is always a bit of a
hesitancy. What goes through your mind is "What if it is really bad."
Well I have dodged that bullet this time as this new book An Imperfect Miracle
is quite enjoyable.
The story takes on the subject of all those sightings of images of the Virgin Mary. There have certainly been a rash of them that apparently are quite ridiculous and so the media has paid them some attention mostly as a subject of ridicule. Miraculous images are nothing new in the Church and of course there are some very good examples of very plausible ones such as Our Lady of Guadalupe. This interest provides the subtext of the plot.
The story centers around a young boy Nathan Gray from a broken family who lives with his mother. A rather intelligent child with a large imagination that on the surface seems to be an escape from the past of an abusive father. His dog Chewy might be man's best friend, but he is an imaginative man's best friend on the order of Harvey. One day this young man sees something that defies explanation and is on the order of the miraculous and then he soon discovers an image of Mary on a cement wall that seems more than just a random water stain.
The story is told through his eyes as he discovers more about Mary and the people involved in promoting what was becoming a new shrine. He has intellectual curiosity and even though he and his mother belong to a local Protestant Church he does not see anything incongruent with what he is learning. He also develops a friendship with one of the people in the local Catholic church in his small town along with the Catholic priest and also one of the pastors of the church he attends.
The novel involves the tensions of this boy with an active imagination reporting this miraculous image and then the coming crowds to see this image and the towns involvement in seeing this as an opportunity to bring more money into the coffers as the image is on public land. Further plot elements introduce some danger and further mysteries on a more material level.
I really enjoyed the telling of the story and the boy's reactions to the multiple events that developed. There were a couple of plot points that seemed to be of a more implausible nature, but they didn't ruin the story for me. This book is also not written as a novel disguised as Catholic apologetics and can easily be recommended to a wide audience as a good novel that takes faith seriously on both the Catholic and Protestant divide.”
The story takes on the subject of all those sightings of images of the Virgin Mary. There have certainly been a rash of them that apparently are quite ridiculous and so the media has paid them some attention mostly as a subject of ridicule. Miraculous images are nothing new in the Church and of course there are some very good examples of very plausible ones such as Our Lady of Guadalupe. This interest provides the subtext of the plot.
The story centers around a young boy Nathan Gray from a broken family who lives with his mother. A rather intelligent child with a large imagination that on the surface seems to be an escape from the past of an abusive father. His dog Chewy might be man's best friend, but he is an imaginative man's best friend on the order of Harvey. One day this young man sees something that defies explanation and is on the order of the miraculous and then he soon discovers an image of Mary on a cement wall that seems more than just a random water stain.
The story is told through his eyes as he discovers more about Mary and the people involved in promoting what was becoming a new shrine. He has intellectual curiosity and even though he and his mother belong to a local Protestant Church he does not see anything incongruent with what he is learning. He also develops a friendship with one of the people in the local Catholic church in his small town along with the Catholic priest and also one of the pastors of the church he attends.
The novel involves the tensions of this boy with an active imagination reporting this miraculous image and then the coming crowds to see this image and the towns involvement in seeing this as an opportunity to bring more money into the coffers as the image is on public land. Further plot elements introduce some danger and further mysteries on a more material level.
I really enjoyed the telling of the story and the boy's reactions to the multiple events that developed. There were a couple of plot points that seemed to be of a more implausible nature, but they didn't ruin the story for me. This book is also not written as a novel disguised as Catholic apologetics and can easily be recommended to a wide audience as a good novel that takes faith seriously on both the Catholic and Protestant divide.”
