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James. L. Rubart's Book of Days Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
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Lavanya Karthik

Reviewer Lavanya Karthik: Lavanya is from Mumbai, India and is a licensed architect and consultant in environmental management. She lives in Mumbai with her husband and six-year old daughter. She loves reading and enjoys a diverse range of authors across genres.



 
By Lavanya Karthik
Published on January 4, 2011
 

Author: James. L. Rubart
Publisher: B&H Books
ISBN:  978-14336-7151-7

Fantasy meets adventure in this modern day tale of a quest for a mythical book, and the motley crew of troubled individuals seeking it.



Author: James. L. Rubart
Publisher: B&H Books
ISBN:  978-14336-7151-7

Click Here To Purchase Book of Days: A Novel

Fantasy meets adventure in this modern day tale of a quest for a mythical book, and the motley crew of troubled individuals seeking it. 

Cameron Vaux’s essential atheism is shaken when his father and wife, both devout Christians, mention the Book of Days in their dying words to him – a book that has, at different times, shown them their future – and request him to find it for himself. Vaux  faces additional challenges when he discovers that he is losing his memory, much like his father had predicted he would.  Given that his memories of his life with his beloved spouse Jessie are really all that keep him alive, the fear of losing them  sends him  on a race against time to find the Book.  

With the help of his estranged sister in law Ann, also searching for answers of her own, Vaux  travels to Three Peaks, a small town in Oregon which just might harbor the secrets he seeks.  But the townspeople aren’t exactly welcoming, be it charismatic New Age guru Jason Judah, taciturn and secretive Taylor Stone, or relatively benign Susan Hill with her penchant for cryptic conversation.  Battling the odds, and their growing attraction for each other, Ann and Vaux do unearth a book, only to find what seems like an elaborate hoax. But one last clue remains, one final fragment of Vaux’s memory, that brings him to an unexpected discovery – a Book unlike any he could ever imagine. But all the while, an unseen foe watches from the wings, waiting to strike…

Book of Days has an interesting premise, and I liked the way a contemporary mystery is woven into what is essentially  a rousing cheer  for religious belief.  Its main characters are ably etched, their actions and motivations believable.  Where the book suffers is in pace, the tension its plot  deserved dissipated  by way too many  rock climbing sessions,  flashbacks to Cameron’s life with Jessie, and long philosophical conversations with just about every other member of the cast. Then again, Rubart’s intention is clearly not to write a conventional mystery – his interest lies more in exploring the spiritual growth of his troubled characters, and bringing Vaux around from atheism to unquestioning faith.  This he certainly achieves, with an upbeat end  that has the deserving getting their second chances,  and the rest,  their comeuppance.


Click Here To Purchase Book of Days: A Novel