Books › First phone call from heaven
First phone call from heaven
386 pages
A bittersweet, emotionally charged mystery that balances the heavy ache of grief with the breathless possibility of the miraculous.
What it feels like
This emotionally resonant novel wraps the reader in a bittersweet, atmospheric blend of small-town intimacy and global frenzy. It feels like standing on the edge of a profound discovery, balancing the heavy, cynical ache of grief against the intoxicating, almost dangerous pull of mass hope. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging pace, seamlessly weaving historical threads of human connection with a modern-day mystery that asks massive questions about faith, doubt, and the afterlife. The mood shifts from the quiet melancholy of a broken family to the feverish energy of a town gripped by fanaticism. It is a perfect read for those who love accessible, thought-provoking stories that explore the lengths we will go to heal a broken heart and find one last connection with those we have lost.
- Mood
- bittersweet
- feverish
- wonder-struck
- wintry
- Tone
- earnest
- inquisitive
- hopeful
- melancholic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- grief and healing · faith versus skepticism · the search for connection · mass hysteria and fanaticism · parental love
- The writing
- Accessible and emotionally resonant, weaving historical vignettes with a fast-paced contemporary mystery.
- The arc
- Moves from profound grief and cynical disbelief toward a breathless, high-stakes search for truth and emotional peace.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave emotionally uplifting mysteries that grapple with big questions about faith, grief, and the afterlife.
Content notes
- grief
- loss of a spouse/parent
- incarceration
About the book
The story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? As news of these strange calls spreads, outsiders flock to Coldwater to be part of it. At the same time, a disgraced pilot named Sully Harding returns to Coldwater from prison to discover his hometown gripped by "miracle fever"." Even his young son carries a toy phone, hoping to hear from his mother in heaven. As the calls increase, and proof of an afterlife begins to surface, the town, and the world, transforms. Only Sully, convinced there is nothing beyond this sad life, digs into the phenomenon, determined to disprove it for his child and his own broken heart. Moving seamlessly between the invention of the telephone in 1876 and a world obsessed with the next level of communication, the author takes readers on a breathtaking ride of frenzied hope. -- From book jacket.
Description from Open Library.
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