Title: The Abandoned of God: Book One – A Life Becomes a Better Life Through Living!
Author: Monroe Silver
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 9781543438239
Pages: 280
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert
Pacific Book Review
Monroe Silver’s The Abandoned of God: A Life Becomes a Better Life Through Living! furnishes readers with a uniquely posed tale which approaches the many effects of traumatic life events on spirituality and the connotations of God’s presence in life from a distinctly unusual perspective.Working as an NSA spy, fifty-two year old, Mason Cole Stuart, the story’s central character, narrates a gritty chronicle of life, exposing his emotion-ridden experiences that catalyzed his deep issues with spirituality. He also revisits experiences not only in his own life, but the influential points in the lives of others close to him as well; like his mother, father and close army pals, and his boss, Wild Willie Corcoran. Initially, readers become acquainted with Mason, who comes across as a complex character. His tone seems rather harsh and jaded, but the more he tells his story the more you see the redeeming side to his personality.
While on the way to a flight for his eighth NSA assignment, Mason refers to his experiences as a low-level spy for the NSA working for his boss Wild Willie Corcoran. He expounds on Willie’s involvement in military intelligence, while simultaneously giving insight to how he in turn came to work for Wild Willie. During the flight, the story takes on a note of urgency as his plane encounters extreme turbulence during a powerful storm, sending everyone aboard, including Mason headlong into one of the most fearsome experiences of their lives. As panic ensues, Mason reminisces about the pivotal points in his past and their effects on his life as a way of taking his mind off of what could be impending death. As he revisits his past, he dredges up many memories, some pleasant, some violent, and some heart-achingly sad. He reveals one particularly traumatizing memory which haunted him from his youth. It inexorably changed his personality and life’s direction, as well as being the catalyst for bringing on his existential crisis; his feeling of abandonment by God. He also revisits the memories of his father’s disclosure of a similar traumatizing experience which changed his life on multiple levels – especially spiritually.
Essentially this is an intriguingly themed story. The Abandoned of God turned out to be an enlightening read which examines the perception of spiritual issues and the need to recognize the work of God’s will in the world. Overall, I enjoyed the way author Monroe Silver worked the theme of abandonment into the story, especially when Mason was on the plane, (my favorite part) helping others to work out their own spiritual issues, which fomented an air of true inspiration within the read. I feel much of the story documents the father’s years of service in detail which, although interesting to a degree, did cause the pace of the story to slow down. Albeit, issues aside, The Abandoned of God: A Life Becomes a Better Life Through Living! is a great book. It is one to be remembered for a long time after completion.
