Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

There has been a surge lately in the Christian Self-Help market, filled with well-meaning people, Pastor’s usually, who are trying to capitalize on the very profitable small-group Bible-study trend.  The usual fare is very straight-forward, with the author expounding seven to twelve items (rules, principles, biblical foundations, etc.) which can be easily split up into a handy-dandy seven to twelve week study session.  All the author has to do is identify a topic that a group might be interested in, and away he goes.  The Noticer by Andy Andrews is just such a book.

But there is a notable difference here. . . Andy Andrews cleverly hid his Christian Self-Help book inside a warm, sentimental, and often insightful storyline. 

In his story, Andy inserts himself as a character, narrating as we follow a mysterious old man named Jones who imparts life-changing wisdom to everyone he meets, including the author.  By the end of the novel, I wasn’t sure if Jones was a store-bought character, or a real person from Andrews’ life, but it didn’t matter because I found myself listing people who could use a Jones experience of their own.  I honestly loved the book.  I just finished it, and decided to write this review before my own feelings for this novel dried on my cheeks.

I give this book my enthusiastic approval.

No comments:

Post a Comment