Believers
By: Travis Gulbrandson
Thriller Pages. 213
Copy Courtesy of Librarything Member Giveaway
Reviewed by: tk

In the small town of Bryant, a traveling young man is in search of Edith Parker. He needs to give her a message…from her dead husband. This man goes by the name of Jacob Peterson. He is never sure when the next message to be delivered will come, or where it will lead him. For most people his messages are wonderful and enduring. He is a man of simple means, and a firm grip on the bible for guidance, so a harmless angel he may be.

What happens when Jacob’s messages are not wonderful, but dark and deadly. For some he can be their worst nightmare. Is he really an angel, or the devil in disguise.

The first half for this book had me. I couldn’t put it down. However, I was lost through the last half of Jacob Peterson’s journey. I don’t know if it is a flaw in the story line, or the author wanted to lead into a different direction. The character of Jacob is dark, and twisted. I think I could actually like him, but at this point I am still unsure of his true purpose.

The small town, and the inhabitants add a great deal to the story line. Their individual stories are very believable. The story has a unique flow. I feel that another read of the book is in order for a later date. I must say it left an impression, although it is still unclear at this moment if it was a reader delight or not. 3/5 ( )

The Believers is a perfect title for this book. I found myself fascinated by the main character, who claims to receive messages from the dead and seeks the living person to deliver the message. The flashbacks were what I originally thought were two different people's stories, but then realized towards the end that it was the main characters memories. The characters were very fleshed out and realistic. It is a crazy story, and perfect for young adult, or adult readers. I felt like I needed more story at the ending, but I am interpreting the abrupt close to the climax as an intentional omission by the writer (or my ebook skipped a pager or two and I didn't know.) Overall, a great read, and I think the cover is one of the coolest covers I've ever seen. ( )

I wanted to like this book. The premise seemed to be right up my alley. But there were so many things that distracted my attention through out the story, that I was barely able to finish. The proof reading was practically nonexistent. I found I was having to read sentences more than once because of misspelled words or incorrect grammar. Also, the young man was a creepy enough main character. Jumping the story lines to give more information on him, either past or present, just diverted my attention from the main story. So much so, that I quit caring what happened to any of the characters. The only reason I gave this book a rating as high as 3 stars is because I was able to complete it. ( )

I am not quite sure what to make of this book. At times it felt as though two completely different authors were switching off while telling the story, because the "voice" changed fast and furiously and I had to go back and re-read portions several times before I understood what was happening. There were huge jumps in time, and the time period the novel takes place in wasn't firmly established. It is late spring/ early summer in a small town that could be anywhere and I'm guessing from some decriptions of clothing it takes place in the late fifties or early 1960's. I'm not entirely sure I ever figured out all the twists and turns in this novel, but I think that may be just what the author intended. This book is at times disquieting, and certainly not what I expected.

The very first passage set a jangly-nerved tone that stuck with me throughout the book. Fire and open flame make me uncomfortable and nervous, and in the prologue we are presented with a dying woman who has fallen to the floor of a burning barn. I read this passage first(of course)and twice again after events in the book I thought may relate to it. The first chapter is really just a young man asking for directions. It was difficult to get through and I was afraid the book was going to stall out because the very early chapters seemed to focus on mundane conversations but I revisited them several times looking for clues that I missed to explain events later in the book.

Almost every passage in this novel seems to relate to another. Characters repeat actions of other characters and the repetition cause you to question if you had already read an account of an event. Although it is difficult to explain this concept without giving away any plot points, it was an effective and interesting device. In one instance a man is described methodically folding the wax paper wrapping from a sandwich and then several chapters later another man folds a wrapper into squares and then slips it into a picnic basket. Several characters smoke and the descriptions of their savoring the smoke and exhaling are similar and unite many characters. (A note of caution: if you were ever a smoker or were trying to quit, opening the pages of this book or viewing it on your e-reader is akin to watching five consecutive episodes of Mad Men - you'll be itching to light up so bad that you may want to wait to read this until you are well free of the temptation. I haven't smoked in years and years but I bummed one from my husband because this book all but reeks of tobacco!)

There is some very interesting language choices used by the author - mostly the linking of words into one long word that I found striking. "Firecherry" to describe the lit end of a cigarette, "graystriped" to describe a cat and "burntblack" to describe the soot on a candle holder are a few I remember. One thing I didn't care for was that every character seemed to have a problem with drooling or a runny nose. There were so many times a character was referred to as having a slime covered upper lip or was gurgling back saliva that I was grossed out. It was very descriptive, but something I found really off-putting.

To briefly describe the plot, a young man comes to a small town in search of a woman he has never met. He tells her he has a message from her deceased husband and that sets off a chain of events that many people in this small town seem to be curious about. Posing as her nephew, the young man stays on and becomes more involved in the lives of her neighbors, a waitress at a local diner and the woman herself. A series of flashbacks tell you more about the woman, the young man, and several other members of this community while nothing is quite what it seems. It poses the question "should we believe everything we're told?" and also "when we hear a story presented as the truth, what do we do with the telling?" I think it is a very interesting novel and I would likely read another venture from the author although there are some very dark, explicit descriptions of sex, abusive behavior, and violence which aren't for the faint of heart.

I received this e-book copy of Mr. Gulbrandson's "The Believers" from a LibraryThing members' giveaway. Thank you for giving me the chance to read and review your work.

A note about the cover - This book has a black and white image of a man that has been partially obscured from view by white scratches on the photograph. The image was haunting and piqued my interest to such an extent that I requested a chance to read a copy before I even knew what the plot was. The photo is slightly frightening. You are looking through a haze and you don't quite know what the scratches may be hiding. Is there a sinister smirk at the corner of the young man in the picture's lip? I really loved it and would definitely pluck it off the shelf in a bookstore. It also is in keeping with the feeling of uneasiness I had throughout the read. It is a stellar cover. ( )

All I can say is what the hell did I just read? I received this book through a giveaway and was excited to read the book. It is a short read only a few hundred pages. The book started out great and easy to follow, but the further into the book I went the more confused I was. I even had to look back to parts I had previously read to make sure I was connecting the character dots properly. I am still not sure why things twisted and turned the way they did. The story is about a women Mrs. Parker who lost her husband ten years before. Out of the blue a physic man appears at her door with visions of her husband. There is a death, sex, abuse, assault, murder, and even possession in the book. The story keeps you guessing that is not a doubt; however I did have a very difficult time following the characters and making the connections with the characters to completely understand. The epilogue is just another huge question mark.

My book grade: D ( )