Danny Gospel

This book was recommended by Dale Ahlquist in a recent issue of Gilbert Magazine. I thought I'd check it out for you. If you've read it, please comment below.
Danny Gospel by David Athey

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
As an answer to the recent question, "Why can't someone write a good book about someone suffering a tragedy who gets through it by having normal everyday encounters with family, friends, and strangers, who overcomes the situation with grace, and not by visiting an imaginary shack where he hallucinates about talking to God the Father (an African American woman), God the Son and God the Holy Spirit with an occasional appearance of Holy Wisdom, not a fourth person of the Trinity?", Danny Gospel is a wonderful book.

Danny, like the main character in The Shack, suffers terrible tragedies and must deal with death. Danny, like the main character in The Shack, has a car accident near the end of the book. Danny, unlike the main character in The Shack, has to deal with this sadness of life by normal everyday encounters with people.

Danny Gospel is the reminder that although Jesus is Lord and Savior, He isn't walking the earth anymore. Through a life of prayer, direction and help come in the physical contacts of everyday life: through friends, neighbors, brothers, and even strangers.

Danny is a lot like St. Francis of Assisi, and especially G.K. Chesterton's biography of the saint as a confusing jumble of ascetic/stigmatist and singer of songs to birds. Danny is a singer who fasts, too. And, like St. Francis, he is an extremely likeable, if at times complicated, person.

Danny Gospel is a compelling story. Once getting to know Danny, one's curiosity is piqued to keep finding out what was going to happen next.

Looking for an alternative to The Shack? Looking for a good book to read this week in particular, but any week would do? Looking for a book where the main character suffers a tragedy, but figures out, through friends and strangers, how to live again? How to forgive? How to really love? Read Danny Gospel. I think you'll like it.
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