Review by EmeraldCityReader -- A Good Boy by Anthony Andre

[EmeraldCityReader]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Good Boy" by Anthony Andre.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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New Covenant Church in Asheville, North Carolina, is dying. With a dried-up cashbox and a dwindling congregation, to say the church is in dire need of a new pastor is an understatement. Unfortunately, with funds in such short supply, the only pastor the church can afford is Mr. Wesley Aames, who comes cheap, but with very little experience. A former youth pastor and a grieving widower, Wesley is himself in need of a fresh start. When he gets to Asheville, however, he soon discovers he may be in for more than he bargained.

Right out of the gate, his first week on the job, Wesley’s world is turned upside down when a teenager commits suicide. Faced with a shocked and grieving congregation (several of whom are outspoken opponents of Wesley’s appointment as pastor), Wesley finds his faith tested as it has never been before. How can he defend himself to his flock while, at the same time, offering comfort during their time of grief? Wesley knows he must find a way to help the community put aside their prejudices, for only then will they realize that he is, in fact, what their church has needed all along.

I am not a religious person by any means, and I find it quite ironic that I have, for whatever reason, been reviewing books with religious themes. That said, I can’t overstate how much I enjoyed A Good Boy. Even though I finished it three weeks ago, it has stayed with me. The characters are well-developed; I especially liked the human-ness of Wesley and the fact that he curses and drinks perhaps more than is appropriate for a man of the cloth. The pacing is good, and the story is multi-faceted enough to not be predictable. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a story that elicits many emotions. It will make you laugh and cry, and maybe even get you to think about the way you treat the people around you. Those who are offended by profanity may want to steer clear. I can honestly say there was nothing I didn't like about this book.

Despite a handful of editing errors (of which there were surprisingly few), Andre's writing is wonderful; I found myself highlighting several passages simply because they spoke to me. This was my favorite:

Wesley prayed to the third movement of Beethoven's Ninth. The conceit being that the final movement - the Ode to Joy - was God's response to Wesley's prayer. God's response...the final movement...was in German. Wesley did not understand German. Which suited his conceit just fine. All too often, Wesley was sure he did not understand God's response to his prayers anyway. So, Wesley prayed, Sir George Solti conducted, the Chicago Symphony soared, God listened, and Wesley wondered.

I would rate A Good Boy 4 out of 4 stars. I’m willing to forgive some minor typos in light of the fact that this book carved itself a nice little place in my soul while I wasn’t looking. Anthony Andre has penned a novel that is smart, funny, and packed full of heart. In certain books (and films), the message of “there is no problem so big that it can’t be solved by faith” is sappy and overdone, but here, it is inspiring and uplifting. Enough to send this atheist running for the nearest church? Not quite. Enough to make me eagerly devour the next book in the series? Absolutely.

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A Good Boy
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[BookishCreature]

What a great review! I'm with you - I'm not religious, but I really, really enjoyed this book regardless. Thanks for such a well-written write-up.

[kdstrack]

I thought it was interesting how you point out that Wesley wasn't what they were hoping for, but in the end things turned around. People had their own wrong opinions about Wesley, but like you said, the author makes us think about how we treat those around us. Nice job.