Saturday, August 27, 2016

The Long Journey to Jake Palmer by James L. Rubart

Rubart's novels are always a bit of fantasy combined with reality interwoven with some kind of healing. Like his other novel's I've read, it took until about half way through that I began to sense what lesson this novel contained.

We try to get our self worth from various places. Even Christians find their value in their good deeds, their parenting skills, or something else. Jake, our main character, had his self worth shattered when he was disfigured in a fire. The journey to finding his true self worth is what the novel is about.

There are many issues addressed in this novel. Risking honest relationships is a big one. We have been hurt and broken from past experiences, perhaps even back from childhood. When we are honest with others, those hurts lose their power and the broken areas are healed. But another issue is the kind of healing we want. God does the kind of healing we really need, not what we think we want.

Rubart always stretches our imagination. We enter another reality from time to time in this novel. There are references to Lewis' Narnia that are appropriate. We might just find out who we really are and where our true God given worth comes from. But it might be a very painful process, even requiring dying to our false self.

I recommend this novel to those who like a plot that stretches the mind and beliefs. If you are willing to accept the challenge to risk honest relationships, all the better. “Nothing worth having, in this life or the one to come, is free of risk.”

My rating: 4/5 stars.

James L. Rubart is a professional marketer and speaker. He is the author of several novels. He lives with his wife and sons in the Pacific Northwest. You can find out more at www.jameslrubart.com.

Thomas Nelson, 400 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

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