The Cure [Hardcover]

Athol Dickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2007

What Price Would You Pay for The Cure? Riley Keep, former man of God, former missionary, now haunts the streets, a ghost of who he used to be. Wife, daughter, and faith have all been lost in the aftermath of a single act of wickedness. Any chance at forgiveness seems a distant dream. Until he hears rumors…. There's a small town in Maine where miracles are happening. In a last bid for survival, Riley sets out and soon finds himself in Dublin, Maine, a coastal village nestled against the jagged shore of the cold Atlantic, a town he thought he'd never see again. This once-proud birthplace of mighty wooden ships, then idyllic seaside tourist destination and safe harbor for lobstermen, is now slowly suffocating underneath an avalanche of desperate people searching for help. But will they find their miracle? After all, sometimes the disease is not as dangerous as The Cure… From the acclaimed author of River Rising, selected by Booklist as one of the Top 10 Christian Novels of 2006!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his follow-up to the Christy Award-winning River Rising, Dickson focuses on a missionary, Riley Keep, who becomes an alcoholic after a devastating experience in the mission field. Blending science fiction and suspense, Dickson sets his novel in the small fishing town of Dublin, Maine. Rich with local dialect and scenery, the novel explores what happens to this bucolic village when dozens, then hundreds, of desperate homeless people descend upon it, having heard that someone there has a miracle cure for alcoholism. As Dublin becomes increasingly dystopic, Riley and the people in his life experience one crisis after another. Dickson's approach is thought-provoking, and his prose beautifully evokes the taciturn spirit of the Mainers who people this novel. As a suspense novel, however, it suffers from a series of implausible misunderstandings. Far too many of the novel's crises involve characters not having discovered facts the reader has known or surmised for some time. Mistaken assumptions about identities, relationships, motives, and culpability for evil deeds serve as a tiresome framework for much of Dickson's plot. His characters seem too smart not to make certain discoveries sooner, and this problem slows down an otherwise well-paced novel that is full of interesting ideas and well-developed characters.
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Review

"...a powerful book, one that will remain on my bookshelf for a long time to come." -- Cheryl Russell, infuzemag.com

"... a five-star book.... my favorite book read so far this year..." -- Marie Hashima Lofton, curledup.com

"...I'm glad that Mr. Dickson is writing books, and I'm looking forward to reading whatever he writes next." -- Sherry Early, semicolonblog.com

"...a must-read novel.... even those who don't usually read the genre will want to give it a look." -- Cindy Crosby, faithfulreader.com

"...the artfulness with which Dickson weaves his plot will leave any reader satisfied." -- David White, christianreviewofbooks.com

"At its core, this is a beautiful story that grants encouragement and inspiration.... This is redemptive storytelling at its best." -- Jake Chism, bookshelfreview.blogspot.com

"For a gripping, thoughtful, and worthwhile read, Athol Dickson's The Cure is not to be missed." -- Violet Nesdoly, blogcritics.org

"The Cure is a fascinating human interest tale.... I recommend The Cure for readers who love great writing...." -- Heather Hunt, absolutewrite.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764201638
• ISBN-13: 978-0764201639
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,791,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Athol Dickson's novels transcend description with a literary style that blends magical realism, suspense, and a strong sense of spirituality. Critics have favorably compared his work to such diverse authors as Octavia Butler (Publisher's Weekly) and Flannery O'Connor (The New York Times). His RIVER RISING is an Audie Award winner and three of his novels have won the Christy Award, including his most recent, LOST MISSION. Athol's next novel, THE OPPOSITE OF ART, is about pride, passion, and death as a spiritual pursuit. Look for it in September, 2011. Athol lives with his wife in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books so far in 2007, October 3, 2007

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Cure (Hardcover)

THE CURE by Athol Dickson
October 3, 2007

Rating: 5 Stars

THE CURE is one of the few times I have given out a 5 star rating. For me, giving out 5 stars doesn't mean that everyone will enjoy the book. It is an opinion that comes from one person. However, a 5 star book has to be well-written, have characters that work in the overall scheme of things, and that all other important parts of the story come together to make it a perfect book. With that said, it also is a matter of taste, and in this case, THE CURE was a book that I particularly enjoyed because I like to read about characters that are down on their luck. THE CURE is not an upbeat story, but it is one about redemption and forgiveness, about a man that is trying to make right something that had gone horrifically wrong in his past.

In THE CURE, Riley Keep is an alcoholic who at one time was a highly respected minister in this small town that he has returned to, after many years living in Florida, living the life of a street person. He returns to the town of Dublin, Maine because of a myth being told on the streets about a cure for alcoholism, and that it has been saving the lives of many. Riley returns to his old hometown with a friend, Brice, who is dying from the affects of alcoholism, and they are in desperate need to find the cure before it is too late.

When Riley thinks he's finally found the cure, given to him on a slip of paper and a bag of white powder while in the church he once preached in, he takes a taste and loses his appetite for alcohol instantly. However, the slip of paper warns that if he drinks alcohol again, his desire for it will increase more than ever.

There is a subplot involving a woman who takes care of the homeless. She has a secret that has led her to this town, and it is connected to Riley and his past spent on a mission in South America. She is somehow involved in the cure, and what she knows about it has endangered her life. She is hiding out in Dublin, but her time may be running out, since the news that Riley has the cure has now spread.

The book moves along at a fast pace when the woman disappears and is thought to be dead, and Riley is accused of murdering her. The men and women on the streets have learned that Riley has the cure. He wants this miracle wonder to be available to everyone and tries to make a deal with a pharmaceutical company who he thinks will be able to reproduce this product and allow rich and poor person alike to utilize it. What happens, however, changes the outcome of what Riley hopes to accomplish, and changes again the course of his life.

Riley is also dealing with his ex-wife Hope, who is now the mayor of the city, and their relationship forms another subplot. What happened between them again is related to the origin of the cure, and their story is told in flashbacks, where they were missionaries in South America.

I don't think THE CURE is everyone's cup of tea. It's not an upbeat happy-ending type of story, but I think the range of emotions that come from the characters that make up the story rings true. I found these characters to be true-to-life realistic persons, and while the actual "cure" is something that doesn't exist in today's world, the main theme of the book is not really about the cure for alcoholism but a need to right a wrong that was done decades ago. It's about a man consumed with guilt for something he thinks he's brought about in his past, and his whole future changes because of what he believes he's done. THE CURE deserves a 5 star rating and will most likely be on my list of favorite books read this year.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 Stars...An Immense Talent, September 25, 2007

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Cure (Hardcover)

Last year, Athol Dickson's "River Rising" won him a "Best Suspense Novel" Award. I disagreed with this pigeonholing of the book, because it was a modern masterpiece that transcended typical suspense. His earlier novel, "They Shall See God," was a more fitting title for such an award.

"The Cure" shows Dickson's mastery of language and characterization. Once again, he transports us to another world--this time, the regions of small-town Maine, as opposed to the southern bayous of "River Rising." The first half of the book is an incredible character study, which kept me turning the pages in empathy for its flawed protagonist. Riley Keep, former missionary, is a man carrying unseen burdens. He returns to his hometown, where he runs across his estranged wife and daughter. Meanwhile, he struggles with a drinking problem and his distance from God. The story centers around "the cure" that Riley discovers in an envelope, a chemical compound which may cure alcoholism, and which is a potential goldmine for those who would use it for personal salvation and/or monetary gain.

At some point, the story shifts focus toward the more traditional plot-oriented aspects of suspense. Some reviewers, including one from Publishers Weekly, have complained about elements that stretch credulity. As a writer myself, I've heard the same thing, and strangely enough the complaints have always been about those parts of my books that are the closest to fact. As they say, fact is stranger than fiction. So, I was willing to allow for some of these things. I had greater trouble, though, with the way in which so much back-story was revealed in one long burst near the end, tying things together nicely, but seeming a bit sudden.

In its conclusion, "The Cure" circles back around to the themes that drew me in at the beginning: human frailty, sin, guilt, and the cure that goes beyond the temporary remedies of mankind's own design. Riley Keep is a memorable character, one that wrestles with honest doubts and fears. Athol Dickson, as always, proves himself a writer of immense talent, and I've already added his next book, "Winter Haven," to my wish list.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Truly Good to Drink, July 15, 2007

By 

T.E. George "Tim George" (Pensacola FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cure (Hardcover)

There was a time when Riley Keep was a man of supreme confidence: minister, missionary, educator of New England's finest. Then something terrible happened; he came face to face with his humanity and what he saw changed him. Now he returns home years later an abject failure, a ghost moving among the living. By accident he catches his reflection in a mirror and he sees something far different: failed protector of an entire people, weakling of a husband, incompetent father, and drunkard.

Athol Dickson offers us the most unlikely, and to be honest, most unlikeable of heroes. Riley Keep has fallen so far that when he returns to his home town in Maine along with a dying homeless friend no one even recognizes him. Not the church people, not his former friends, and not even the mayor who just happens to be his ex-wife. Through an apparent accident Riley discovers something every person trapped by the demons of their personal sins would give anything to have, a magic bullet that would forever take away their addiction. Riley Keep has discovered The Cure.

What happens next is on one level a rousing suspense story and on another a parable of failure and despair. It is the story of far away pagans and the pagan within us all. And in the end it is a story of ultimate hope. As always, Dickson's characters are vivid, tragic, heroic, well-intentioned, and severely flawed. Even when Riley Keep gets his act together and appears to become a great success he is within himself a failure. In other words he is real. Perhaps this is why some found this story uncomfortable. Upon his return to his home town, Riley observes that people walk by him but never look into eyes, never see him. He guesses it is because they fear they see some of themselves. I think Riley Keep guesses right.

The Cure ends with these words: Riley was no longer dead; his ghostly days were over... here at last was something truly good to drink. The Cure is something truly good to drink.