Elijah

Our main character is a young man who is angry and wants to take it out on the world - his mother was murdered in their own home by a burglar and the horror of it all has left both a conscious and subconscious mark on Tom. As Tom commits a deliberate crime of his own - he meets a man by the name of Elijah. Elijah tells Tom that he will not "turn him in" if Elijah promises to return to the scene the same night to meet with him,

Although Tom is still confused, he agrees and he keeps his word. He meets with Elijah on that second night and as they sit there "just talking" about everything and nothing, Tom feels a warmth and connection that he has not felt for another human being since the death of his mother. Indeed, Elijah is not an ordinary guy - and through their conversations which eventually turn more towards spirituality and how to do good in the world, Elijah finally gives Tom a coin and tells him to "keep it with him always". Throughout their conversation, Elijah had also refers, by name, to two other people that he has met in the course of his life that have helped him understand better. Tom absorbs it all and although he is still confused, he is starting to feel better and tells Elijah that he will see him the next day. As Tom arrives at the appointed time, there is no Elijah - its like he never existed. So, Tom goes on a quest to find his friend Elijah and starts with the two people that he mentioned in their conversations.

From there on, this book really takes off. It will be difficult for me to do a full disclosure review without giving away a very important aspect of the book, but I have to say that I thought that Tom quest to find Elijah - which actually becomes Tom's quest to find himself is so well done. As Tom meets the two people that Elijah mentioned and realizes that although all 3 of them have met him and gotten the same coin - nobody really knows all that much about Elijah - he remains a mystery. However, in the process Tom meets two people who will become friends and mentors to him in their own ways - just as they promised Elijah they would.

This story is spiritual, moving and incredibly hopeful. It is about finding your way in your life, even if you don't want to anymore. Its about finding the good in people, but more especially, its about finding the good in you.

The author has created scenes that move the storyline along, but also show us the growth that Tom is going through, the life lessons he is learning - all of this because he cares about an old man that he met just a few times.

The coin that Tom received also plays a huge role in this storyline and the author has even included two real coins on the back cover of the book and encourages us to take on and carry it around with us and to do a good deed everytime we touch it.