Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Damn, this book was everything I wanted it to be based on the synopsis, and more. It was the atheist rep I desperately searched for in my 20s when I stopped being Christian. It was emotionally honest and treated every character with empathy. It made me cry. And damn it, it even made me want to visit Bible World. Just really, really well done overall.
slow-paced
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oh man. I read the synopsis on the inside cover and knew immediately I needed to read this. I grew up close to Orlando, going to an evangelical church, and have been to The Holy Land Experience (one of the inspirations for Eli’s Bible World). I’ve been on a healing journey after being many years removed from that life and I thought this sounded like a wild and fun addition to my quest. But that’s not at all what I got.
First, I hated the presentation. It’s so disjointed and you jump all over the place. Only two chapters take place in the ‘now’. And the rest of it is so difficult to get through. If I’m being honest I skimmed paragraphs and stuck to the dialogue for most of the non-key scenes.
What’s worse? I hated this story. Eli is manipulated by every person he ever meets and it doesn’t feel like he escaped that curse even when he grew up. There were very few genuine-feeling moments in the entirety of this novel. Everything else left me feeling either hollow or embarrassed. Eli deserved so much better than he got and if I had known how depressing this book was I would not have picked it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Homophobia, Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide attempt, Outing
This is a well-written and deftly handled exploration of religious trauma and exploitation. It’s an entertaining and somewhat light read in spite of the heavy subject.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Gays with religious trauma, this one is for us!!!
This was an extremely tough read, not because the way is written, but the story that's telling. For those of us who know what a strong religious family can do to one's mind it's a tell that we know too well.
I had to pause several times, cry, and then reflect on how fucked up is to put that much pressure on children and how sad we see the same story repeating itself.
Anyways, amazing book, won't be reading it ever again.
This was an extremely tough read, not because the way is written, but the story that's telling. For those of us who know what a strong religious family can do to one's mind it's a tell that we know too well.
I had to pause several times, cry, and then reflect on how fucked up is to put that much pressure on children and how sad we see the same story repeating itself.
Anyways, amazing book, won't be reading it ever again.
I loved this book! I almost gave up in the beginning - I’m not exactly sure why - but something about the ease of reading kept me going. Sooner than later, I was fully immersed in the well-crafted story and the emotional ride, as though I was on Eli’s rollercoaster at Bible World. The character development and family relationships felt authentic and relatable. Although it deals with a lot of heavy topics, it was still light and fun. And relevant - reminding me of the current generation of TikTok kids who are exploited by their parents’ desire for fame and wealth.
The creation vs. evolution debate was very black and white. I wish there had been more acknowledgement of a middle ground, e.g. agnostic and/or non-Evangelical Protestantism focused on inclusivity and social justice rather than personal salvation. The PFLAG meeting in the basement of a Methodist church was a slight nod in that direction.
Overall, Eli Harpo’s Adventure to the Afterlife is a thoughtful and thought-provoking read that would be excellent for a discussion group.
The creation vs. evolution debate was very black and white. I wish there had been more acknowledgement of a middle ground, e.g. agnostic and/or non-Evangelical Protestantism focused on inclusivity and social justice rather than personal salvation. The PFLAG meeting in the basement of a Methodist church was a slight nod in that direction.
Overall, Eli Harpo’s Adventure to the Afterlife is a thoughtful and thought-provoking read that would be excellent for a discussion group.
Unfortunately this book fell short for me. Here’s why:
••• the book started out interesting and caught my attention right away, so I chose to pursue it. The main character is a man named Eli, who is married and has a son, and is meeting at a Bible Camp/Land with his dad and adult siblings and their kids. Bible Land is going out of business so they are there for some reminiscing and one last hurrah on the rides.
We quickly learn that when Eli was very young, there was some sort of event where it was believed he “saw the light” (Heaven) for a moment during a surgery
••• as the book continued, I checked not once but twice, to double check this was not a memoir, or a book of fiction that was very diaristic. It was neither. This book reads like a memoir - after the initial introduction above, it goes back in time to Eli’s childhood, the Event, and his religious upbringing.
••• there was so much evangelicalism in the middle of the book. It was just a lot. It did draw a picture of a family that became embedded in a religious community (led by this grifter Gideon) whose goal seemed to be to create ways to profit off Eli’s story. Did this impact their family, yes. Did this call into question the authenticity of their particular religious group? Yes. Was this part interesting to me, not really. I was quite bored with the majority of the middle of the book. The end got interesting again, but it was too little too late.
•••• it felt like Eli’s being gay was a plot device. Which didn’t sit right with me. We saw his mother grapple with how to address it, but we really didn’t hear much about the interplay of his being gay and being brought up religious played out for him and the undoing of a belief system he had supposedly been taught. . I felt like this part was glossed over too quickly. I was expecting more of this to come in each new chapter and it just never did. Perhaps this is because the book was not diaristic in this sense? Not sure. Maybe this is a me thing. Idk
2.5 stars
••• the book started out interesting and caught my attention right away, so I chose to pursue it. The main character is a man named Eli, who is married and has a son, and is meeting at a Bible Camp/Land with his dad and adult siblings and their kids. Bible Land is going out of business so they are there for some reminiscing and one last hurrah on the rides.
We quickly learn that when Eli was very young, there was some sort of event where it was believed he “saw the light” (Heaven) for a moment during a surgery
••• as the book continued, I checked not once but twice, to double check this was not a memoir, or a book of fiction that was very diaristic. It was neither. This book reads like a memoir - after the initial introduction above, it goes back in time to Eli’s childhood, the Event, and his religious upbringing.
••• there was so much evangelicalism in the middle of the book. It was just a lot. It did draw a picture of a family that became embedded in a religious community (led by this grifter Gideon) whose goal seemed to be to create ways to profit off Eli’s story. Did this impact their family, yes. Did this call into question the authenticity of their particular religious group? Yes. Was this part interesting to me, not really. I was quite bored with the majority of the middle of the book. The end got interesting again, but it was too little too late.
•••• it felt like Eli’s being gay was a plot device. Which didn’t sit right with me. We saw his mother grapple with how to address it, but we really didn’t hear much about the interplay of his being gay and being brought up religious played out for him and the undoing of a belief system he had supposedly been taught. . I felt like this part was glossed over too quickly. I was expecting more of this to come in each new chapter and it just never did. Perhaps this is because the book was not diaristic in this sense? Not sure. Maybe this is a me thing. Idk
2.5 stars