From Publishers Weekly
In this impressive debut, Wiersema crafts an intelligent, contemplative supernatural thriller replete with well-rounded characters, artless dialogue and a plot that, while imbued with the unexplained, develops organically, revealing its secrets at just the right pace. In the novel's opening pages, three-year-old Sherry Barrett, an only child, is rendered comatose in a hit and run accident. What follows could have been a typical thriller full of cartoonish villains and escalating peril; it also could have been a treacly fairy tale about God's miraculous healing power. Happily, Wiersema steers clear of these well-traveled roads and, by way of multiple first-person narratives, tells an engrossing story of flawed but genuinely good people who must bear up under the stress of loss, betrayal, unwarranted miracles and unconventional spiritual warfare. Particularly well-imagined is the purgatory of sorts that Henry, the truck driver, must endure after he fails to come forward after the accident. Reminiscent of Wim Wenders's film Wings of Desire, Henry's nature, longings and environs paint a poignant picture of souls in need of redemption. While some readers may find one of the novel's final revelations less original than the rest of the story, Wiersema gets nearly everything else right, and the result is an engaging, emotionally resonant read. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"A stunning debut . . .original, thought-provoking, and downright wonderful."
-Michael Connelly, New York Times #1 bestselling author of The Closers and Echo Park
"I wept over this book as I read it, and I'm still haunted by it . . . disturbingly powerful."
-Gail Anderson-Dargatz, author of A Recipe for Bees
"A literary supernatural thriller that grips the reader in a chokehold and doesn't let go until the very last line. . . . It never shies away or backs down from its questioning of faith, theology, morality and mystery. . . a unique, spellbinding, and ultimately uplifting gem."
-- The Globe and Mail
"Through a tale that is both intimate and profound, Robert J. Wiersema reminds us there is magic in truth, and truth in the fantastic. An edge-of-your-seat debut that is never faint of heart."
-Ami McKay, author of The Birth House
"A wonder to behold. A deft fusion of intimate family story, suspense and religious exploration. One of those books you just don't put down until you've read to the last page. . . Magnificent."
--The Edmonton Journal
"Deceptively easy to read because it is so well written and so emotionally engaging. It will haunt you long after you've lent it to a friend. And lend it you will, because it is just too good not to share."
--National Post
"Before I Wake provocatively dances along the lines between faith and science, life and death."
--Andrew Pyper, author of Lost Girls
"Engrossing and carefully plotted . . . Wiersema's compassion and sympathy for his characters are genuine. . . he tells a cracking good tale."
--Quill & Quire
-Michael Connelly, New York Times #1 bestselling author of The Closers and Echo Park
"I wept over this book as I read it, and I'm still haunted by it . . . disturbingly powerful."
-Gail Anderson-Dargatz, author of A Recipe for Bees
"A literary supernatural thriller that grips the reader in a chokehold and doesn't let go until the very last line. . . . It never shies away or backs down from its questioning of faith, theology, morality and mystery. . . a unique, spellbinding, and ultimately uplifting gem."
-- The Globe and Mail
"Through a tale that is both intimate and profound, Robert J. Wiersema reminds us there is magic in truth, and truth in the fantastic. An edge-of-your-seat debut that is never faint of heart."
-Ami McKay, author of The Birth House
"A wonder to behold. A deft fusion of intimate family story, suspense and religious exploration. One of those books you just don't put down until you've read to the last page. . . Magnificent."
--The Edmonton Journal
"Deceptively easy to read because it is so well written and so emotionally engaging. It will haunt you long after you've lent it to a friend. And lend it you will, because it is just too good not to share."
--National Post
"Before I Wake provocatively dances along the lines between faith and science, life and death."
--Andrew Pyper, author of Lost Girls
"Engrossing and carefully plotted . . . Wiersema's compassion and sympathy for his characters are genuine. . . he tells a cracking good tale."
--Quill & Quire
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