#25 – Revival

Plot

In a small New England town, in the early 60s, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls – including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister – feel the same about Reverend Jacobs. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond, based on their fascination with simple experiments in electricity.

Then tragedy strikes the Jacobs family; the preacher curses God, mocking all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Review

There are two books on this list that I won’t read again, no matter how much you pay me.  One is yet to be revealed, but the other is Revival.  This book disturbed me in ways I would appreciate not revisiting.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fascinating novel but one that left me feeling uneasy about a lot of life’s big questions.

Typically, I’m not a huge fan when King delves into overtly religious themes, but he manages to pull it off deftly in Revival.  He does so because it’s not done screaming from a pulpit but grounded in reality.   

Revival is deliberately paced for the first 75%, but then ends in an absolute flourish.  Once I got into the climatic sequences, I could not put this book down.  I was up until 2am finishing Revival, and then another couple of hours trying to process what I had just read.

My mother will not watch Silence of the Lambs a second time.  I can remember nervously watching that film for the first time waiting to be terrified, but it never happened.  Afterwards I asked her why she was so scared of that movie, and she told me that it wasn’t scary, but the thought of that film was disturbing.  After reading Revival’s ending, I completely understand my mother because I felt the same way upon completion.  

Details

Pages: 405

Dates Read: February – March 2016

Quote: “Religion is the theological equivalent of a quick-buck insurance scam, where you pay in your premium year after year, and then, when you need the benefits you paid for so—pardon the pun—so religiously, you discover the company that took your money does not, in fact, exist.”

Best Part: Getting the long-awaited answer to what happens to us after we die.

Hint for #24: This film was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2000, including Best Picture.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.