The Cure (Hardcover)

by Athol Dickson (Author)
Key Phrases: little wooden cross, homeless alcoholics, cure for alcoholism, Lee Hanks, Bill Hightower, Willa Newdale (more...)

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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #922,753 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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)

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

Riley Keep had been so many things in other lives. Minister. Missionary. Educator of New England's finest ... Failed protector of an entire people. Weakling of a husband. Incompetent father. Drunkard. Friend as best he could ... By accident, Riley caught his own eye in the mirror. Startled, he looked away.

Athol Dickson has done it again! In River Rising he made us want to look away from the stark realities of racism and then compelled us to look back in its mirror and see ourselves. Now, in The Cure, this master of parables holds up another mirror most of us will look into only after fighting it the first two hundred pages or so. This time the parable concerns failure and hopelessness. 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.

What sets Dickson apart is the way he uses words like oils on a palette. You don't read about Riley Keep. If you allow yourself you become Riley Keep. I wrote in a review of River Rising that only word did it justice: profound. Now that I have read The Cure I am at a loss for any other description. The Cure will make you uneasy at times. Its hero is flawed. A failure. And, even in his return to God he is far from perfect. In other words he is real. All I can say is read this book.

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.