Customer Reviews

Electric God

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I almost took a day off work just so I could read ! Catherine Ryan Hyde does it again with this reader friendly story of a man who hides his emotions throughout his childhood and never cries - even when it is appropriate to do so. Only to have those emotions resurface during adulthood in ways that are definately not appropriate and have to live with the harsh consequences of his actions. Despite his angry, violent outbursts Hayden is immensly likable and you can't help melting a little when he reveals his soft underbelly to the people moving in and out of the orbit of his life. This book is like a bowl of jello - easy to consume, easy to love, and leaves you wanting more.

The Jacket Blurb reads...a contemporary reinterpretation of the Book of Job...Believe me, if you come to this novel (or stay away from it)because of that expectation you are in for quite a surprise. This book is so much more than that. Funny, wry, believable characters and plot and at times so sharply moving I read it in six hours the day I got it. The highest praise I can give this novel is that now I can't decide if Catherine Ryan Hyde's Electric God or her earlier Funerals for Horses is the best I've ever read.

If you want a Gem, bright & literary writing, Get this book and read all her others.

I liked this book, but then I read all of Ms.Hyde's books: something is happening in them, and she's worth watching. The review from above chosen by the ... site, from Booklist by Carolyn Kubisz says it all for me. As uncomfortable as I was with her main character, Hayden Reese, the question of what is forgiveable comes into sharp play. The least you can say is Reese's optimism is earned.

Have you tried to protect your heart from pain, only to find that any fortress you build around your emotions can be tumbled by honesty? Again, Catherine Ryan Hyde has shared with us a poignant, human, story. Upon reading this story you will find it reveals a secret you tried to hide from yourself. In my case it was that there are still people in my life I need to forgive. This story may reveal something to you as well. Sometimes answers do not bring relief, nor does suffering end, but life is worth the sweat, the tears, the blood, and especially the laughter. I know that every individual who reads "Electric God" will be given an opportunity to gain a message that will make their life sweeter. Honest. Be open and you will get it. Thank you CRH.

Catherine Ryan Hyde's Electric God is an exceptional novel, a story of what can happen when you let hate drive your life, and what can happen if you learn to let go. The story is superbly crafted, with a shades of gray protagonist that you're not sure you should love, hate, or pity. You can certainly commiserate with his situations, and you have to wonder how you would deal with what he faces. Is he Jonah or Job? Are you? It's a great read, and it's one of the best books I've ever read. I haven't gotten to Pay It Forward yet (though I saw the movie), and I think that will be next on my list.

As a reader, I'm tough to please. I read primarily for pleasure, and I like a hook that pulls me in from the first chapter. Catherine Ryan Hyde's book, Electric God, offers no such hook. In fact, if I hadn't been reading it as a book club selection, I might have tossed it aside after just a few pages. Because I felt obligated to stick with it, though, I did, and I don't regret it.

Pretty much any review you read will tell you that Hayden Reese's life is tough. Depressing, really. One tragedy after another, punctuated by reactionary violence on the part of the main character. Although Hayden is hard to love from the beginning, Hyde portrays him with the proverbial heart of gold which, as I read on, I found endearing. After the first hundred pages, I believe the story becomes more compelling as it delves into flashbacks and begins to reveal to the reader what makes Hayden tick. As you learn more about his past life, his despicable present behavior begins to make sense.

As the book wore on, I became more invested in the characters, and by the end, I felt like rooting for some of them. Loose ends are tied, perhaps a little too neatly for my taste, but I was glad for the relief after all of the tragedy that wore this book down. I can appreciate the fact that, I believe, Hyde took the story where she felt like it needed to go. Electric God lacks contrivance. It has its weak spots, and maybe it pushes the boundary of believability sometimes, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Hayden Reese is a regular on Division Road, the location of the local jail. He and the county sheriff have become great friends over their countless games of chess, played out during Hayden's stays in lock-up. But the destructive rage that keeps landing Hayden in jail is in stark contrast with the tenderness and compassion he also exhibits. So moved to help a disabled baby possum, he's nearly leveled by a semi at the opening of the book. Throughout the book, it's apparent that the rage Hayden struggles to control is triggered by his inability to protect and save many of the ones he loves.

As Hayden's rage and the destruction it wreaks on his life run the course of the novel, the Book of Job, the story of Jonah and the whale (or big fish), anger, forgiveness, control and understandings of God are examined.

As Hayden gives and receives forgiveness, the book will leave you wanting to exercise more forgiveness in your own life. It's a great book to read for all who have experienced loss, powerlessness, and injustice.

I've read many books in the last year that I've enjoyed and several that I would recommend to a friend, but this is one that my friends won't just hear about from me; it's one I'll be giving them.

I began this book because I had read that it was a modern telling of Job. I kept reading it because of Hyde's masterful storytelling. Characters have rarely been developed as well as Hayden and plots have seldom been so giftedly crafted. She creates a world peopled with reality and revolving around a history so compelling that I want to revisit it over and over. Read it! You won't be disappointed.

Hayden Reese is a man beset by misfortune. That all of his troubles seem to manifest from the darkest corners of his own soul is a fact not lost on him. Aptly comparing "Electric God" to a comprehensive retelling of the Book of Job, Catherine Ryan Hyde delivers a fascinating story, one ripe with strife and human drama, but ultimately leading to a rich redemption one can only feel with the whole of one's heart. The fierce determination that Reese unfailingly displays shows not only the indomitable spirit of human nature, but that the need to "do good" is so powerful that in the end it may be the only thing that saves him. Reese makes some hard choices in the face of every adversity and comes out, not so much a winner, but a man at peace with himself at long last...and that in itself is a form of redemption, perhaps one that is ultimately most satisfying. Hyde has the unerring ability to delve deep into the human heart and emerge holding the answers, or perhaps the key, to our salvation with each other on this earth. With intelligent dialogue and brilliant plot, "Electric God" is recommended reading for everyone, and is destined to become required reading for human beings everywhere.

The main character of the book --- HAYDEN REESE --- has lived and continues to live a life full of unlucky misfortune. He is perhaps one of the most unlikley characters I have ever Fallen in Love with. I even found myself devishly defending him in a discussion of the book. I loved the book. Don't miss out -- pick it up --- His Story will stay with you.