Noah Milligan

Caleb's mother believes that her son is the second coming of Christ and that together, they will lead the chosen into the Kingdom of Heaven. Every natural disaster, every incident, makes her believe more and more that they are living in the end times. Taking Caleb, the two run away from their home to join a group of other religious people living in a trailer park. After a hurricane hits, they are left to fend for themselves. Weeks go by without help, until one by one the small group begins to fall ill. When the National Guard finally arrives, the small community refuses them entry, leaving everyone in a dramatic stand-off.

SPOILERS. 5 years later, Caleb is let out of juvie and witness protection has given him a new name. His mother is on death row for murdering the congregation.

The first part of the book was an interesting build-up of how a cult can form and how a stand-off can occur. However, there were several things in the second part of the book that made absolutely no sense. I can't imagine any scenario where 13 year old Caleb was imprisoned for five years because of the actions of his mom. It was also unbelievable that Caleb was in witness protection, and when his cover was blown that he wasn't relocated and given a new identity. Based on these things, this book was a complete bust.… (mehr)

This book is written in three sections. Set in rural Oklahoma the first section is about the birth of Caleb Gunter and his childhood. After a miscarriage Caleb’s mother Evelyn is convinced she will never conceive another child. But after her devoutly religious stepfather performs a ritual over her, eleven weeks later she is pregnant again with Caleb. At first Caleb and his older brother Jonas live a normal life, but when Evelyn’s stepfather dies she goes off the deep end. A Sunday school teacher, she is now more extreme in her teachings, focusing on the book of Revelation and the coming end of the world. She is also convinced that Caleb is the second coming of Jesus and together they are destined to lead the chosen into the Kingdom of Heaven. Everyone in the community now considers Evelyn crazy. Her family is ostracized from the church; Caleb and his brother have no friends; and the boys are bullied and beaten. My heart hurt for the way Caleb was treated by others in the community and the abuse from his mother. Can you imagine the pressure on a child when his mother is telling him “ all the souls of the world are counting on you”? Caleb had no say in his life and, of course, as a young boy he fully trusted his mother. When her husband does not support her in her teachings Evelyn takes Caleb and flees to a friend of her stepfather. There they join an evangelical church and become part of a “cult community” where Evelyn’s visions are more accepted.

The second part of the book follows Evelyn’s descent into madness and the impact of her extremist beliefs has on the “cult community” she has joined and on Caleb. When a tragedy hits the town everything falls apart eventually pitting Evelyn’s community against the outside community and law enforcement.

The first and second parts of the book were intense. With compassion and empathy Milligan expertly spelled out the impact the mother had upon her son and the consequences of religious fanaticism. He showed us how loving parents in a peaceful community which has separated itself from the outside community can be swayed by an authoritarian figure. Surprisingly, even though I could see where this was going, I had compassion for the people caught up in Evelyn’s web. I also reflected on how Evelyn ended up on this path in the first place.

The third part of the book revolves around Caleb, now 18 years old, and his effort to join “normal” society. This part of the book left me wanting so much more. This is a boy who has not known a “normal” life. He had no friends so how does he now cope? His entire life has been based on a false vision. I felt as though Milligan had not thought this part out and just quickly wrapped up the book.

Thank you Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for the egalley. My review reflects only my opinion.… (mehr)

What I enjoyed most about this collection of short stories is the book as a whole had this cohesive quality even though the stories were vastly different. That isn't always the case in a book of short stories. When I saw the title I assumed this was just going to be about having no money but the stories all were centered around the theme of lacking something whether it be direction, love, hope, control, etc.

While at times a few of the stories could be hard to read when they took shocking and graphic turns, each one was original and you were left feeling like you really got into the minds of the characters. My personal favorite of the bunch was "Brought to you by Anonymous" which I didn't care for at first but really ended up feeling invested in the relationship between father and daughter.

Overall, a good collection of stories that really show off the author's ability to create stories that are not only original but leave each reader taking away something different.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy! I was under no obligation to post a review on Amazon and all views expressed are my honest opinion.… (mehr)

Surprised and delighted by this work of Noah Milligan. The story takes the reader from obsessive wanting, to sacrificing need—the point of losing all—to bits of madness. And while the author takes the reader on the twists and turns of his character’s obsession, the reader never loses the perspective of reality. Coulter Zahn is a mad scientist you hope will stop before going completely insane while also wishing him to discover the greatest contribution to science since Einstein. Milligan is an author to keep on the“follow” list.

Review: Le Coeur de l'Artiste
… (mehr)