Holy Joe

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A beautifully written book about a difficult subject - Rated
Holy Joe is a novel about a man who takes his two children to play in the park one day and comes back with only one - the elder daughter, Martha, has been abducted. We follow Joe and his wife Sarah and remaining daughter Molly as they live through the aftermath with all the grief that they feel. There's a lot of realism in this book and, despite being a Christian novel, there aren't any occasions of cheesy Christianism. Our hero, Joe, is a very realistic hero - he has doubts, he gets annoyed with people, he considers the possibility of starting afresh without his wife but with a woman from his past, he doesn't know if he can deal with the well-meaning platitudes from Christian friends.

Although the central story of this book - the abduction of a child - is about the worst thing that can happen to anyone, there is a great deal of humour in this book. It reminded me rather of a Nick Hornby novel and I loved a lot of the ways in which Joe talked to himself; the author has an excellently acute way of describing scenes in Manchester and the ways in which people interact. What I particularly liked is that Joe finds his way slowly back to God - things aren't all fixed magically, and in fact we're left at the end knowing that Joe's life and marriage will always be different - and that Joe's experiences of God all feel real. This book has no facile überchristian subtext but it looks at the genuine way in which a postmodern Christian might work his way through a life's tragedy - amazingly with humour as well as sadness. I recommend this book highly.

Un-put-downable - Rated
I’m in trouble I started reading Holy Joe hours ago and I couldn't put it down until it was finished. Hubby isn't best pleased because he’s had to forgo his garage tidying hobby to look after the children.

It's really good. I like seeing the whole thing from Joe's viewpoint as a lot of stuff I've read is from a woman's viewpoint – you’ll see from the other reviews that the story is gripping. The way Graham writes makes me there, in the book with Joe. I had all the worry and heart-beating panic with Joe in the park when he lost Martha, I was cross when he discovered his friend was lying to him and I was sad about his relationship with his wife.

The contrast between Sarah and Joe is great and probably quite typical of the way men and women deal with stuff. Graham has bravely chosen to tackle probably the most terrible of all situations a parent can find themselves in – the abduction of their child. Yet, he manages to get across in a most sensitive way, the real feelings of the situation and the roller-coaster of emotional responses to God’s part in the proceedings. Joe’s struggle is real, believable and very definitely gripping.

Graham uses some great references to music, cars and Manchester life that if you were around in the nineties will have you humming and reminiscing. If you know Manchester you’ll love the description of the cityscape.

The book is just so un-put-downable. I cried, panicked, felt sad and laughed out loud. You’ve got to read it, it’s just brilliant. And when you have you’ll understand why my next dog is going to be called Delia Smith.

The Christian Nick Hornby - Rated
An intriguing exploration of the spiritual/philosophical chaos that descends upon one man's life when his young daughter is abducted during a visit to the park (Longford Park in Chorlton/ Stretford, Manchester, for all you locals). Joe is a thoroughly modern man - a pop music obsessive - who struggles throughout the story equating his Christian faith with the real world.

Utterly convincing - Rated
Holy Joe explores how one Christian believer wrestles with his faith in the face of extreme personal adversity. The disappearance of his eldest daughter leaves Joe immersed in guilt, a marriage that is rapidly disintegrating, and a broken relationship with God. Joe is an utterly convincing central character, and whilst the thrust of the narrative is heart-wrenching, the reader is surprising well entertained, not least on account of the author’s references to music and Manchester. This is most certainly a page turner, as you will care for Joe and want to know his family’s fate, and whilst the Christian message is prevalent, it is far from being preached.

A moving journey - Rated
Holy Joe is a great book, but so poignant! There were lots of moments throughout the book when my eyes were rushing across the page because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Joe reminded me of a modern day Job - his loss seems almost unbearable for him, but Robert Graham handles his story with tender observation and as a character Joe often has a bittersweet take on what's happening to him.

There are some great episodes in the book, especially the ones where Joe is trying to escape from what's happening to him. Watch out for The Martha chapter it's beautifully written.

I think it's interesting how the adults become like children in this book and the children seem old for their years.

A very honest, true to life and moving book which shows that forgiveness holds power to renew relationships even in the darkest times.