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Loading... Before I Wakeby Robert J. Wiersema
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) janismack | May 3, 2020 |  Each chapter has sections told through the different points of view of the characters. The ending was disappointing (too rushed), but overall this book was really good. (  ) jenn88 | Apr 25, 2017 | Before I Wake by Robert J. Wiersema is praised as being a “Globe and Mail best book”. After reading this book I can see why it has this designation. It was a great story which forced me to ask myself some important questions. One of the things I took a look at in myself was how I view miracles. Do I believe in miracles? In angels? Do I believe that there is someone, or are some persons, who are looking out for me? How about you, do you believe in miracles? It wasn’t just my feeling about miracles which I questioned during the reading of this story. I also had to ask myself how I felt about forgiveness. Is there anything I would not do or some line that I would not be able to cross to show forgiveness to someone else? These were some very big questions for me. Here are some of the answers I came up with: there are times in life when I believe it is probably easier not to forgive and not to believe that strange things happen every day. To forgive releases one from bondage to a past. Bad things happen even to good people. There are times when we all must face up to tragedy and learn something from it. Sometimes what we learn is what type of people we really are. Are we loving and kind or hateful and mean? Can we forgive even when something very dear to us is taken away? In Before I Wake, when tragedy strikes the Barrett family has a lot on their plates to deal with, from adultery to watching as their beloved daughter is caught in a coma due to a hit and run accident. This book takes us on that journey with them and hopefully awakens in us a new faith or hope for something miraculous. Before I Wake by Robert J. Wiersema has left me looking at tragedies in a whole new way and has helped me to refocus my efforts toward forgiveness. A great read with a surprising ending. Before I Wake is a story everyone should read and any who reads this story will enjoy it. ( ) carfor12 | Jan 10, 2014 |  ) CarterPJ | Mar 4, 2013 | Sherry's parents Karen and Simon Barrett face their worst fears when their only child won't wake from her coma and unfortunately their marriage fractures under the pressure. Karen takes Sherry home, hires a nurse and settles into a steady routine with daily visits from Simon. The plot really starts to pick up pace when Sherry's nurse Ruth begins to suspect that Sherry has had a role in curing the painful arthritis in her hands. Ruth's sister is dying of cancer so she brings her to Sherry's bedside and places the comatose little girl's hand on her chest in an attempt to heal her. Before long, news crews, journalists and pilgrims are outside the front of Karen's house asking for statements about the reported miracle healings and asking to see Sherry. However, along with them come religious protestors led by a shadowy figure, Father Peter who claims Sherry is a false idol. He threatens the Barrett family and is never far away when bad things start to happen. Father Peter travels all around the world, following reports of miracle healings, and shuts them down by whatever needs necessary. Father Peter believes he's doing God's work and clearing the way for the return of Jesus. However as one character put it, "how do you know you haven't already met Him?" Wiersema has given us an interesting look here at religion, in terms of the Church, faith and miracles. Meanwhile the driver of the truck is consumed with guilt, but when he decides to take his own life, he jumps from a cliff only to find a mysterious hand pulling him back. The driver finds himself living in the 'in between' and must find himself and his purpose. I enjoyed the supernatural/fantasy element to this novel and the so-called true identities of the truck driver's mentor Tim, and Father Peter. Before I Wake isn't a sunny, bright story. This is a 'what would you do' story, and a thought provoking tale that makes you think about bigger issues. I especially liked the identity twist and the men living in the 'in between' at the library. I was really curious to know their stories and to be left wanting more at the end of a book is certainly the mark of a great read. ( ) Carpe_Librum | May 16, 2012 |
 In this impressive debut, Wiersema crafts an intelligent, contemplative supernatural thriller replete with well-rounded characters, artless dialogue and a plot that, while imbued with the unexplained, develops organically, revealing its secrets at just the right pace.  An engaging and unusual story—a debut with promise. Awards
After an unthinkable tragedy happens, an unbelievable miracle begins. . . Three-year-old Sherry is the adored only child of Simon and Karen Barrett. When Sherry is critically injured in a hit-and-run accident, the fault lines in the Barretts's marriage begin to show. As her parents' marriage falls apart, it is discovered that Sherry--in her coma-like state--has miraculous healing powers. Meanwhile, the guilt-stricken driver of the truck attempts suicide--but is unable to die. Henry Denton instead finds himself in a place of darkness, somewhere between this world and the next, invisible to all but a group of mysterious and downtrodden men. Haunted by his shame, Henry struggles to understand this mysterious limbo, and what he must do to free himself. As word of Sherry's powers spread, her parents must decide how best to shelter their daughter and help the many sick and dying who are drawn to her side. At the same time, a larger battle is brewing--one that has been raging for close to two-thousand years, and one that might yet claim the lives of Sherry and her family. Robert J. Wiersema's brilliant debut novel sheds light on the inner lives of characters struggling against tragedy, who find each other and themselves in the darkness. "Before I Wake" reveals the power of forgiveness, and the true nature, and cost, of miracles. "A stunning debut . . .original, thought-provoking, and downright wonderful."-Michael Connelly, "New York"" Times" #1 bestselling author of "The Closers" and "Echo"" Park" "I wept over this book as I read it, and I'm still haunted by it . . . disturbingly powerful." -Gail Anderson-Dargatz, author of "A Recipe for Bees " "A literary supernatural thriller that grips the reader in a chokehold and doesn't let go until the very last line. . . . It never shies away or backs down from its questioning of faith, theology, morality and mystery. . . a unique, spellbinding, and ultimately uplifting gem." --" The Globe and Mail" "Through a tale that is both intimate and profound, Robert J. Wiersema reminds us there is magic in truth, and truth in the fantastic. An edge-of-your-seat debut that is "never" faint of heart." -Ami McKay, author of "The Birth House" "A wonder to behold. A deft fusion of intimate family story, suspense and religious exploration. One of those books you just don't put down until you've read to the last page. . . Magnificent."--"The Edmonton Journal"" ""Deceptively easy to read because it is so well written and so emotionally engaging. It will haunt you long after you've lent it to a friend. And lend it you will, because it is just too good not to share."--"National Post" ""Before I Wake" provocatively dances along the lines between faith and science, life and death."--Andrew Pyper, author of "Lost Girls" "Engrossing and carefully plotted . . . Wiersema's compassion and sympathy for his characters are genuine. . . he tellsa cracking good tale."--"Quill & Quire" No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.58)
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