Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet

Sep 29, 2008

Jason Pettus rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, hipster, religion, politics, middle-east, character-heavy

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

As I mentioned here at the website last week, there are sadly a number of issues from my daytime life that are keeping me these days from penning the usual thousand-word book reviews I normally post here every day or two; one of those issues, for example, is that I've recently gotten invol...more

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Sep 29, 2011

Kathy Davie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, urban

The Story
While hanging with friends, Luke suddenly turns into "Chatty Cathy" and predicts the death of one of their group. He only thinks he's making it up.

What follows is a persecution of Luke by news media, people in town who recognize him, and religious nuts who believe he is stained by Satan. Even his friends betray him somewhat when they consent to media interviews. Retreating into himself, rejecting his parents' efforts, it takes months for Luke to come to terms wi...more

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Oct 25, 2010

Azlaz rated it

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"Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" is a very interesting piece of literature. It is set in a small town by the name of Stokum. The teenaged protagonist, Luke Hunter, is your average, everyday seventeen year old stoner. One day, Luke was just doing some pot with his friends and then suddenly Luke decides to tell a made-up death prophecy of his frAiend Stan Miller. Incidently, Stan dies the exact way as Luke had described it and has been labeled as "the Death Prophet". Luke wil...more

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Oct 25, 2010

Reicolee rated it

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“’Stan,’ I said, and I said it kind of loud so of course he had to look up. ‘Tomorrow morning: 8:37. The red van with the out-of-state plates? You go head to head. You lose. You die.’” (Proulx, 5) Bingo! Stan is hit by a red van at 8:37 in the morning on his way to school; the day after Luke Hunter prophesies Stan’s death while doing drugs at Delaney’s basement.
After reading “Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet” a coming-of-age novel written by Joanne Proulx, meet the protagonist, Luke Hunter...more“’Stan,’ I said, and I said it kind of loud so of course he had to look up. ‘Tomorrow morning: 8:37. The red van with the out-of-state plates? You go head to head. You lose. You die.’” (Proulx, 5) Bingo! Stan is hit by a red van at 8:37 in the morning on his way to school; the day after Luke Hunter prophesies Stan’s death while doing drugs at Delaney’s basement.
After reading “Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet” a coming-of-age novel written by Joanne Proulx, meet the protagonist, Luke Hunter, a death prophet as well as a unmotivated, druggy teenager living in a dead suburban area, Stokum. This, indeed, fascinated me as a debut novel. One of the interesting elements of the novel is the realism of talking about nowadays teenagers, how teenagers fleeing from reality after problems arise. For example, the protagonist Luke Hunter chooses to lock himself inside his room after knowing his friend’s death and remains silent, leaving himself being isolated by the public. Furthermore, it brings up the main issues around teenagers, their ability to deal with stress and problems. Instead of telling the truth to the people around him, Luke rather stays at home and having “himself” dealing with the problems and stress. This reflects most of the situation that happens around teenagers.
However, the storyline of the novel was rather disjointed as if a roller coaster only climbs up high to the sky but never goes down to the ground. In the novel, the girl who always hovering over Luke’s mind is one of the confusion. Her sudden appearance in the town gives confusion as the purpose of this is uncertain. Moreover, the connection between Luke and his parents is confusing. For instance, it doesn’t make sense that Luke would do drugs as he has a wonderful family, which his parents do care about him ( her mum get so worried when he is alone in the doctor’s office, panicking whether he has problem or not), and even bring him to a vocation.
In conclusion, as a debut novel, it is enjoyable to think about the theme of the story which reminds us of most of the important issues around us, and teenagers. I am looking forward to the next novel from the writer.
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Mar 12, 2010

Eric*isp added it · review of another edition

Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet is a colorful peek into current teenage life. It is the story of Luke, an average sixteen year old pothead who foretells the death of close friend. This breeds the beginning of a series of such experiences. I saw the entire thing as a figurative tale about adulthood and the difficult pass through puberty for teenagers, it depicts the tale of the way we all suddenly understand these profound new truths about our world during those confusing teen years, confusing and ...more

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Mar 10, 2010

Tobes rated it

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The experience of reading Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet is much like taking a roller coaster with endless elevation.
The takeoff is particularly mind-blowing: with Luke casting his ultra-authentic death prophecy and his friend Stan almost instantly becoming his victim, the novel seizes my heart in a blitzkrieg.
And there’s more to come. As the coaster rumbles ahead, Fang, Luke’s buddy of life along with Faith Taylor, his dream girl hops on the coaster and joins the adventure. F...moreThe experience of reading Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet is much like taking a roller coaster with endless elevation.
The takeoff is particularly mind-blowing: with Luke casting his ultra-authentic death prophecy and his friend Stan almost instantly becoming his victim, the novel seizes my heart in a blitzkrieg.
And there’s more to come. As the coaster rumbles ahead, Fang, Luke’s buddy of life along with Faith Taylor, his dream girl hops on the coaster and joins the adventure. Faith’s blonde hair is blinding under the blistering sun; and a gust of breeze sends her minty smell to me. “This is gonna be interes--” I turn to Fang in the back seat, suddenly feel like screaming but can’t hear myself -- the safety lock swings in the air, the seat occupied my Fang just one minute ago is now blank. Eyes wide open; I sense a woman’s voice scratches through my ears: “Fang’s involved in an underground homosexual orgy; he will commit a suicide as his name will be revealed by the local newspaper.” I gasp for some air, close my eyes, thinking the coaster will plummet to the ground.
Unaware of how many seconds have actually elapsed, heart bounding and spine quivering, I slice open my eyes -- the coaster is still climbing. I throw a confounded glimpse to Faith, barely read anything from her pale face. The rough whisper creeps again and demands me to look up –in a dim glow way above, I see Luke is surrounded by three figures; all wear I-can-save-you expressions and chant to the evil-infused problem child. Overwhelmed by the mechanic squawk from down under the track, I can’t catch their conversations. “What the hack” I curse, then a slight, scratchy laughter slips across my right ear.
I desperately crane my neck, attempt to see a slope that will lead me into the ground – nothing, the ascension seems to be endless. “Where’s Fang??” I hear myself asking “he’s probably dying, what Luke is doing there...” The sound from above finally makes its way through the bothersome clacks, “...three steps of salvation...repentance...baptism...” Luke awkwardly recites the bible; a sanctimonious expression is plastered on his face. Given the truth that he is a perverted stoner who worships dopes as his god, I’m pretty sure he is brainwashed. I hear a distant sizz, this time from inside, as if an inflated balloon becomes floppy in a slow motion.
“Okay, this is enough” I shout, unsnap the lock of my seat, leap into the vacuum underneath.
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Mar 09, 2010

Matthew rated it

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Joanne Proulx is clearly able to capture a young male’s life in Stokum, Michigan with humour, creativity, reality as well imagination. As a review I will admit that I am not one who is a consistent reader, but when reading Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet it was able to create a beautiful setting that captured me. The protagonist in this novel is a teenage boy named Luke who is somewhat lazy, undetermined and no real future goals. The story really changes when the main character Luke is smoking wee...more

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Aug 23, 2010

William rated it

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I'm between "liked it" and "really liked it" so probably 3.5 stars is more accurate. The storyline was interesting and the set up was good but I thought the follow through was a little weak. There were times throughout the story when it seemed the perspective was from Luke the stoner teen and other times when the perspective was from an older, wiser, more philosophical Luke. It also seemed to me that Luke's gift of prophecy formed the early basis of the novel and then was ...more

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Oct 27, 2008

Michelle rated it

A boy who learns he has a psychic gift...but he isn't really psychic and it really isn't a gift

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Mar 05, 2010

Sara added it

I began reading this book in part because I wasn't sure if it belonged in the adult or the young adult collection at work. It is, in fact, an adult book, but beyond that it's also very good. A dark and angsty midwest bildungsroman with a magical realist twist, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it (though I think it could be a good 50 pages shorter). I'd still recommend it to mature teens, because Proulx does a wonderful job of channelling the voices of depressed and alienated teenagers, particularly ...more

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Jul 26, 2011

Michelle rated it

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I read this in one sitting it was so hard to put down. It is beautifully paced, and decorated with realistic characters. The terrified, angry, and witty protagonist narrates with heart and self-deprecating humour. The teens in this book deal with issues beyond their emotional abilities and Luke guides us through them with momments of instinctive clarity, and chapters of self-obsessed blindness to those around him. I was brought to tears as Luke stumbled his way through the terror of what he...more

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Jul 02, 2010

Hannah rated it

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Luke’s life was all about drugs, music, and hanging out in his friend Fang’s basement. Life was one big joke. But the first time IT happened it changed his life. Luke and some of his friends were hanging out in Fang’s basement when Luke told them “one of us is going to bite it on the way to school tomorrow, get creamed by a van and be dead before they know what hit him.” He even gave the licence plate number of the van. When he said it was going to be Stan (the golden boy) nobody believed...more

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Nov 30, 2009

Lovealice added it

Recommends it for: Teenagers

Recommended to Lovealice by: Librarian

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet is a novel that looks into the life of Luke Hunter, a self-proclaimed “loser” problem child. It deals with everything an average teenage boy might deal with in everyday life and more. It talks about family, school, sex, drugs and religion and the list can go on. What makes Joanne Proulx’s story unique from all the other teenage novels, besides dealing with the endless problems of daily life, is that she spices things up by adding a pinch of premonition à la death.

...more

Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet is a novel that looks into the life of Luke Hunter, a self-proclaimed “loser” problem child. It deals with everything an average teenage boy might deal with in everyday life and more. It talks about family, school, sex, drugs and religion and the list can go on. What makes Joanne Proulx’s story unique from all the other teenage novels, besides dealing with the endless problems of daily life, is that she spices things up by adding a pinch of premonition à la death.

What was interesting about this novel was the voice of the story. It was written in first person point of view, but the way Luke is portrayed makes the story more appealing. Luke is not any ordinary character you’d see in a regular book. The rawness of his persona draws readers in; making them wonder what he might say or do next. He openly swears and is harshly opinionated, like a true teenager of our era. For example, even in the first sentence of the book, profanity is evident; “The first time it happened, I was bullshitting.” (Proulx 1) The realness of Luke’s character is what keeps readers entertained and why it is easy to relate to him. He is an out-of-control character who can’t get a hold of himself because of the visions he has of people— strangers— dying.

What I was not particular about in this novel was the bias against the Church. Although I am not religious, the strong negativity towards the Christian community was burdensome for me as a reader. I felt as if an opinion was being shoved down my throat whenever it spoke about the Pastor and his constant nagging for Christian conformity. An example of this is Pastor Ted saying to Luke, “You have a gift, but you’ve made some bad choices— failing to accept Christ into your life, for one— which have left you vulnerable.” (Proulx 309) Anti-religion is a teenage rebellion cliché, but the intensity of it used it this book was overwhelming. Besides that fact, overall the novel is a decent one, and its play on paranormal activities is intriguing, though unrealistic.

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Nov 02, 2009

Angela rated it

“Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet” is a novel which explores the life of a troubled teenager, Luke Hunter. The interesting part of this book is that it involves paranormal activities which Luke is the prophet of death. The themes that keep on reappearing are parapsychology and psychology. This book involves a teenager whose world collided with the paranormal plane, and his adventure of introspection.

The behavior of Luke Hunter isn’t what most people consider to be normal. For ...more

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Oct 23, 2008

Jodi rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: teens, my mother

Recommended to Jodi by: originally reviewed for SLJ

Shelves: teen-self-discovery

PROULX, Joanne Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 368p. Soho Apr. 2008. pap. $14. ISBN 978-1-56947-487-7. LC 2007037538.

Adult/High School-“Stan….Tomorrow morning. Eight thirty-seven” is teen protagonist Luke Hunter’s stoned premonition of someone’s death. He jokingly shares it with his gang of “basement dwellers” gathered for “bad dope, bad company and even worse music” in bland, middle-class suburban Stokum. But when Stan dies the next day, exactly as predicted, life veers wildly off tra...more

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Jun 30, 2008

Janice rated it

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Shelves: popular-craptacular, young-adult

i really wanted this to be good. i really did. and now i wonder why. why did i want it to be good? because it had a cool cover? because it had a sufficiently creepy premise? probably the cover.

what i found, instead of a good book, was overdone teenage macho crafted by a woman of indeterminate age who apparently thinks all 17-year old boys are assholes who will listen to anything.

is it authentic to talk constantly about tits and dope and offer no redeeming character ...more

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Jul 22, 2010

Douglas Graney rated it

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This is one hell of a ride. Proulx has male teen angst down.

This should be required reading in every high school but of course too many parents would use this as the only time to take a (negative) interest in what goes on in their kids school. I'm impressed Proulx is able to maintain the aggressive pace throughout this novel. You will fly through this book.

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May 23, 2011

Zoom rated it

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Shelves: canadian, fiction

I wanted to like this book because I took a writing course taught by the author, and I liked her. I was not disappointed. I loved the beginning, liked the middle, and found the end intriguing. It's a modern coming-of-age story with a twist or two.

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Jul 27, 2011

Kim Trusty rated it

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Luke Hunter, protagonist of the novel, is such a well realized character. Typically teenage in his ability to inspire frustration, sympathy and genuine affection in a reader. Wish that Proulx had left out so many obvious music references (trying too hard), but otherwise, a really enjoyable read.

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Aug 21, 2008

September Rea rated it

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The style of writing is amusing, just as a stoner teenage boy from the Midwest would talk. But the references to music (the Anthem if you will) that repeatedly appear in the book are poor. I really find it distracting and poor writing when authors resort to identifying popular bands (i.e., White Stripes and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) in their writing. There is something automatically limited in such references. The book will never be timeless or classic or appealing to readers of the future....more

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Jun 14, 2010

Tony Go marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: might-get-you-laid

So I met this girl who wanted me to read this book. Trouble was, she had a boyfriend. Now, you're probably thinking- "Alright, well whats her relationship status got anything to do with what you read?"

Fuckall if I know, but I won't bother with this book until she's single!

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Nov 26, 2011

Sgilbert rated it

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I tried reading this several times, because I was intrigued by the summary and potential content. I couldn't get past the unnecessary foul language...it was more of a distraction to me than anything else.

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Nov 15, 2010

Lauren rated it

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Shelves: favorite-books-of-all-time

i loved that we saw the story through the boy's eyes. the vernacular in the storytelling was very compelling.

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Apr 05, 2008

Jennifer rated it

Recommends it for: those who enjoyed Russell Bank's Rule of the Bone

Shelves: adult-books

A self-described "loser" skate punk begins to ponder the meaning of life after he correctly predicts the day, time, and method of his best friend's untimely demise. Hailed as "the prophet of death" by the media and hounded by the local minister to come to Jesus, seventeen year old Luke nearly self-destructs under the intense public scrutiny--until he finally finds something worth living for. This debut novel by Canadian talent Proulx contains spot-on teen speak and well-drawn...more

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Jul 24, 2011

Amy rated it

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It was OK... I think I would have liked it better when I was much younger.

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Jun 04, 2009

Bob rated it

U.S. publication of this debut novel by Canadian Joanne Proulx is scheduled for April 2008. When I picked up the advance reading copy, I thought it might be a run of the mill novel of teenage angst, seasoned with a dash of teenage libido. It turns out, though, to be a lot more solid and satisfying than that. Proulx creates wonderful characters and gives them richly complex lives in a little Michigan nowheresville on the shore of Lake Erie. The writing is assured and fluent; the characters vivid,...more

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Jun 26, 2008

Youngadultlibrarian rated it

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Recommends it for: Kids just graduating high school or in their first few years of college

A true sounding story of a teenage boy with some untrue sounding powers. He's 17 and just like any other 17-year-old Luke feels like he's nobody going nowhere. While acting out that role, he is ravaged by images of death so gripping it makes Luke sick and alienated from those still alive. He finds out his visions are real as he loses people around him. Can Luke change the course of events or is he only a silent witness of the dying song of so many?

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Sep 15, 2007

Ariel rated it

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Shelves: high-school-books

Written from the point of view of a loser teenage stoner who predicts his friend's death and suddenly is the Death Prophet of a backwater town in Michigan in 2003.

I really liked this book. Profanity, slang, disgruntled teen apathy and hostility, as well as a brush of high school politics give it a bitter edge. It's funny in parts, but mostly I liked how bleak it was, especially towards the end. I almost cried at several parts.

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Jun 23, 2009

Vicky rated it

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First, thank you, Mariane, for suggesting this book for me. I would not pick it up myself. Here is another reminder that the YA books are often a great literature, even if this specific book had been catalogued in our library as a Fiction, not as YA. I gave it to my son and he liked it. This book is great. Here is a story of a troubled youth, big questions of life and death, friendship, families and first love.

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Feb 11, 2009

Don rated it

Tough book to rate since it is a little rough (both language and content - the dark side of today's teenage environment) and has a somewhat typical anti-Christian bias. But if you can get through that and want some serious insight into today's teenage angst, I can quite highly recommend it. The story is well crafted and hilarious at times - it had me hooked. Ending is a little weak but overall a "good read."

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