Mary Curran Hackett’s novel provides “Proof of Angels”

Last updated on: November 4, 2014 at 10:32 am by Dan Wilkinson

Mary Curran Hackett’s novel provides “Proof of Angels” 2014-11-04T10:32:34-06:00 Dan Wilkinson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Despite its title, Mary Curran Hacket’s just released book doesn’t offer empirical evidence for the existence of supernatural beings from Heaven. Instead, her novel, Proof of Angels (William Morrow, $14.99), tells a feel-good tale of redemption and personal growth that touches on important social and spiritual issues.

Proof of Angels tells the story of Sean Magee, a Los Angeles firefighter who, after having been forced to jump from the third story of a burning house, must negotiate physical, emotional and spiritual recovery as he works to rebuild the broken pieces of his life. Through his journey of healing and self-discovery, Sean comes to understand that the true angels in life are not supernatural beings — though the novel leaves open that possibility as well — but are the people around him. For Sean, these real-life angels include his brother-in-law, the trainer of his new service dog, and his physical therapist, who all are also seeking to recover from the injuries life has dealt them. This cast of characters, through their love and sacrifices, provide Sean with “proof” of angels.

Proof of Angels is a novel about appreciating the people in our lives, about the importance of friendship and about our need for one another in the midst of hardship. Much of Christianity (and religion as a whole) focuses on supernatural escapism and the distant hope of a future Heaven. While still recognizing the importance of religious spirituality, Proof of Angels seeks to reorient our priorities toward the here and now, toward the people in our lives who we care for and who care for us. Life isn’t about waiting for God to intervene and miraculously fix things, nor is life about simply enduring until we can move on to something better. Life is about being an angel to other people and embracing the angels who are working in our lives.

Unfortunately, the characters, dialogue and plot development of the novel often seemed at the mercy of the book’s message rather than naturally revealing it. Mary Curran Hackett seems unwilling to fully trust her readers to make discoveries and realize connections on their own. Too often she simply tells what her characters are feeling in tedious detail, too often she carefully explains the meanings of metaphors, too often we’re simply told what is important and profound rather than coming to those conclusions ourselves. Heeding the old adages “less is more” and “show not tell” would have gone a long way toward strengthening the novel’s impact.

But regardless of these literary missteps, Proof of Angels provides a good starting point for discussing how God does (or doesn’t) work in our lives, the importance of relationships, the complex motivations that influence our choices, and the challenges that we all face. Mary Curran Hackett knows first-hand about the struggles of life: her personal story is as inspirational as her fiction. And while her new novel isn’t a literary masterpiece, it nevertheless offers hope, inspiration and encouragement that all of us, at one time or another, have needed.

Find out more about Proof of Angels and read a sample of the novel here: http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062279958/proof-of-angels.

Dan Wilkinson

Dan is a writer, graphic designer and IT specialist. He lives in Montana, is married and has two cats. He blogs at CoolingTwilight.com.

Book Reviews

mary curran hackett

proof of angels

Previous Post

November 1, 2014

What the hell is Southern Baptist leader Al Mohler fired up about now?

Next Post

November 10, 2014 Being and Becoming Children of God

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Christian History Christian Issues Christian Spirituality Current Events Fundamentalism Islam John Shore LGBT Movie Reviews Poetry Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz