On his quest, our protagonist encounters lots of different characters who have pulled Roman Catholic dogma and symbols into all manner of unorthodox directions: from yoga, to neopaganistic goths, to supernatural conspiracy theorists hunting for a grail, to corporate "megamall" churches, to holy warriors attempting to reclaim the papacy by force of arms; all are laid bare before our protagonist's acerbic gaze. In spite of it all, our protagonist remains a steadfast Roman Catholic. Devout Roman Catholics concerned that their beliefs might be maligned by a work of blasphemous lies will be relieved to discover that any blasphemy described is exposed for precisely that transgression.

The novel is peppered with plenty of humor, including Beatles references and unabashed use of biblical names as character archetypes, as well as lots of poking of pompous balloons and clever references to Kevin Kautzman's previous novel.

In terms of mechanics, Kevin Kautzman uses the flashback masterfully in this novel. Our protagonist returns from his quest, and everyone in town wants to know his story, so he doles out chapters of his tale interleaved with the main narrative. Although there is plenty of danger, because our protagonist got home safely, you know that it can't get too bad, and you can keep reading. Put simply, it's a well-paced page-turner with no painful lulls to bog down the plot and hinder your enjoyment of the story.

Ultimately, this book shapes up to be a heartwarming tale of personal growth, a common theme in Kevin Kautzman's novels.

I have to take away one star from a perfect rating because some features of the story depend on the reader's familiarity with Roman Catholic symbolism. As a Protestant-turned-Atheist, my appreciation of such basic concepts as The Rosary is limited.

America has lost Jesus and Thomas goes on a quest  Jul 01, 2004
By Boo Boo Honeypaw
This novel's protagonist is an emotionally disturbed young man in a small town whose young adulthood is stalled due to arrested development; he "borrows" the town Roman Catholic priest's minivan on a quest to find Jesus, manifested in a quest to find a "missing person" named Jesus Jones. Confused? Our protagonist might be confused, but you won't be when you read this delightful book.

On his quest, our protagonist encounters lots of different characters who have pulled Roman Catholic dogma and symbols into all manner of unorthodox directions: from yoga, to neopaganistic goths, to supernatural conspiracy theorists hunting for a grail, to corporate "megamall" churches, to holy warriors attempting to reclaim the papacy by force of arms; all are laid bare before our protagonist's acerbic gaze. In spite of it all, our protagonist remains a steadfast Roman Catholic. Devout Roman Catholics concerned that their beliefs might be maligned by a work of blasphemous lies will be relieved to discover that any blasphemy described is exposed for precisely that transgression.

The novel is peppered with plenty of humor, including Beatles references and unabashed use of biblical names as character archetypes, as well as lots of poking of pompous balloons and clever references to Kevin Kautzman's previous novel.

In terms of mechanics, Kevin Kautzman uses the flashback masterfully in this novel. Our protagonist returns from his quest, and everyone in town wants to know his story, so he doles out chapters of his tale interleaved with the main narrative. Although there is plenty of danger, because our protagonist got home safely, you know that it can't get too bad, and you can keep reading. Put simply, it's a well-paced page-turner with no painful lulls to bog down the plot and hinder your enjoyment of the story.

Ultimately, this book shapes up to be a heartwarming tale of personal growth, a common theme in Kevin Kautzman's novels.

I have to take away one star from a perfect rating because some features of the story depend on the reader's familiarity with Roman Catholic symbolism. As a Protestant-turned-Atheist, my appreciation of such basic concepts as The Rosary is limited.