The Novelist

by Angela Elwell Hunt (Contributor)

From the author who taught you to expect the unexpected...an intriguing tale about families, fiction, and what to do when life veers wildly off script.


It begins...when a smug college student challenges a best-selling novelist to write something "more personal." It begins...when a mother finds her troubled son slumped unconscious outside her house. It begins...when fiction and reality blur, and the novelist finds herself caught somewhere in the middle of it all. Where does it end? That all depends on who is telling the story...

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Contemporary, Fantasy, Novels, Adult

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who have learned to expect the unexpected in novels from this versatile author. With nearly six million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 165 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to novels.

Now that her two children are grown, Angie and her husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Turner and Hooch and Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards--one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City.

Afterward, the dog gave out pawtographs at the airport.

Angela admits to being fascinated by animals, medicine, psychology, unexplained phenomena, and “just about everything” except sports. Books, she says, have always shaped her life— in the fifth grade she learned how to flirt from reading Gone with the Wind.

Her books have won the coveted Christy Award, several Angel Awards from Excellence in Media, and the Gold and Silver Medallions from Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. In 2007, her novel The Note was featured as a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel. Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, and American Christian Fiction Writers bestowed the same award in 2019.

In 2006, Angela completed her Master of Biblical Studies in Theology degree and completed her second doctorate in 2015. When she’s not home reading or writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers’ conferences. And to talk about her dogs, of course.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different sort of book, these two stories in one work very well. The realistic drama was gripping, while the fantasy allegory was fun and entertaining, although a little weird at times; seriously, a dog and cat make "dittens"? Still, I enjoyed it.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start out by saying I didn't want to finish this book. But I did. I personally had a hard time connecting with the story - it was confusing to me . So I just left it for a long while. While reading other books, this novel kept nagging at me. God was pushing me back to this story and I am very grateful He did. This story is actually about all of us - our struggles and how our decisions affect us.

I finally began to connect and really feel the emotional struggle of this family in a way that actually brought me to tears. D

Do not pass Go. Stop and read this book. Do not let the message pass you by.

[Anna Karras · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read a CHristian Fiction book for a group I belong to, and I chose this one because a friend said she was good. And I did like it - she writes well and doesn't come off heavy-handed or preachy. And the story is grittier than I would expect from a Christian Fiction novel - it deals with mental illness, and how we can be blind to our friends and families cries for help out of being selfish - which is a difficult thing to admit.

[Grace Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!

First of all, I am a writer myself, so I found myself relating with the main character Jordan. I found that the story is about two different things that are connected together, writing and God's creation.

Writing:

So Jordan is teaching this class about how to write a novel. I constantly found myself nodding my head in agreement or highlighting stuff on my Kindle that she said.

With her writing there is so much love in the creating progress. There was just so much appreciation for creating that I could walk around the house with a smile on my face all day, thinking about this book and the books I want to write. This book made me want to sit down and write.

God's Creation:

This book is an allegory about God's creation and the fall of man. Though I have read Genesis many times, this book had me thinking about things again in a different light.

Like how God provided for everything Adam and Eve needed. Why God put in a tree with forbidden fruit. The giving us free will. And how God has sent Someone to save us.

The thing that I love about this book is not just how it shows creation and temptation and redemption, but how God made people to be creative too. I mean we were made in His image, and He gave us each a wonderful gift, to create. I mean, we can't create exactly how God did, but we can still create. I just feel so happy reading about everything in this book, I don't think I can come up with too many complaints.

Content in Book:

1. Mentions of someone wanting to and trying to commit suicide.

2. Mentions of someone using really bad language, but we never see or even think what those words are, thank goodness. =)

3. Some violence. (Trying to attack someone else, someone giving another poison which was semi-detailed to how it was explained, people getting mobbed and killed in the process (because of it, someone's brain was going to fall out, yuck), rats eating another creature (and mentions of its remains), someone getting burned to death which was semi-detailed).

4. Gambling.

5. Drinking and drug use.

6. Mental health.

Who Would I Recommend This Book To:

Those who want to be writers. It does have some writer knowledge, plus it's wonderful just for the feel of creation alone.

Authors. Those who like allegories. Those who like contemporaries? I guess, only if you're okay with allegories.

Will I Read Anything Else By This Author?

YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! I just need to figure out what to read by her next. =D

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

angela hunt is one of my favorite christian authors! her books are an interesting meld of real-life struggles and science fiction - the stories are so well told that the line between fact adn fiction is often hard to find. i would definitely recommend her books to anyone who wants an unusual story with a deeper message.

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was phenomenal! I've never read something so unique! I don't even honestly know how to describe it other than compelling, unexpected, incredibly realistic character development, just a wonderful story in general with a twist.

[Virginia Pillars · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in my "read" list by Angela Hunt. It took me a while to get into the character of William, but once I did I had to listen until I finished. This book blended the three things I enjoy in a book - faith, writing, and family dynamics. I'm glad I read The Novelist. I gleaned some tips on story construction as I followed the character as she wrote a novella inside the novel. Along she faced a hard truth about her son and learned to handle it.

[Nettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty alright! I enjoyed the story telling a lot. I think Hunt is a very good story teller. I'm not entirely sure about all of the theology at the end, and it wasn't a perfect resemblance between her character "John" and Jesus, although it seems she tried really hard. Mostly it seemed a little forced.
But overall, decent book! It was kind of dark sometimes, and the whole second plot was a little creepy just in general, but I read it in a few days so it obviously kept me interested!

[Yolanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly loved it! The character was well-developed and her transformation believable.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jordan Casey Kerrigan is the bestselling author of over twenty spy novels. Think Dirk Pitt combined with James Bond and you have a feel for her main character, Rex Tower. The catch is - most readers think she is a man. Her unisex name (combined with an intense desire for privacy) keeps this illusion alive. When Jordan agrees to teach a community college class on fiction writing, her students are shocked to discover she's a fifty-ish woman writing about a very macho man. One of her students challenges Jordan to write something personal, something less on the surface. Since Jordan has been a Christian for many years and has never put her faith on paper, she accepts the challenge.

Jordan begins writing The Ambassador, an allegory about Christian faith set in a modern-day world. Her initial thoughts are to use the novella as an illustration of the writing process for the class, and also to use the story to reach her troubled son. Twenty-one year old Zack is home after a disastrous two years away at college, marred by DUI convictions and erratic behavior. Zack has never accepted his parents' faith, and they are running out of ideas on how to reach him emotionally and spiritually. As Jordan writes The Ambassador, she explores her own faith as well as trying to help her son, who is spiraling out of control.

This is one of the most original, moving, and thought-provoking books I have read in many months. It is basically two stories in one - that of Jordan and her family, and the story within a story of The Ambassador - the tale of William and other residents of Paradise, a small town headed for trouble. Reading the plot summary above, I realize that it does not begin to convey the depths of this terrific book. These characters wrestle with substantive spiritual and emotional issues, ones familiar to most people. Parents especially will relate to the struggles Jordan and her husband experience while dealing with their wayward son.

The pacing and character development are excellent, as well as the intriguing insights into writing fiction - something the author knows a great deal about. I inhaled this book in one day and was sad to see it end. Although this is a Christian novel, the faith message is not forced on the reader and is actually dealt with in a very unique way. Angela Hunt never fails to provide thought-provoking and highly original stories, and The Novelist is no exception.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The parallel stories were interesting and the concept of embedding a novelist's work into a novel about the novelist was unusual and intriguing.

Like the main character in this book, I have a young adult son with mental health issues. The author's portrayal of the daily craziness and domestic upheaval associated with loving and caring for such a child rang true.

The spiritual lessons learned are good ones. God's forbidding access to knowledge of good and evil was for our own good and protection; man's disobedience leads to his own destruction; and God's "good plan" for us is often not what is easiest for us because His love is a sanctifying and purifying love, not a pampering love.

My only complaint would be the present tense style of writing, it felt forced and unnatural and often distracted me from the story itself.

[Taija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the first piece of christian fiction I have actually enjoyed reading. Interestingly written as a story within a story, Hunt writes in a way that's authentic to LIFE-- not through rose-colored glasses that belong to a fairyland world of "life's perfect because I'm a christian."

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was multi-layered. The story was compelling and I enjoyed learning more about the writing process. Writing a book within a book was a nice way to move the plot.

[Swing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling story, intricately written.

[Randy Alcorn]

Angie Hunt has done it again. The Novelist is unique. Innovative. Touching. Thought-provoking. Behold characters breathed into life by The Novelist...and gain a rich perspective on your own story.

[Kristin Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was way creepier than I thought it was going to be. It was really amazing and I liked it, but I wasn't expecting so much violence and murder.

[Lecy Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love parallel storylines so was excited to follow along with Jordan's real life and also get to live in the fictional world that she was creating on paper with the college class that she was teaching, but there were a lot of things that annoyed me about this book.

First of all, this fictional world just didn't make sense. This "ambassador" shows up and has no idea who he is or what he's meant to do in this world, and all of the people he meets recognize him as a newcomer, but he's treated like royalty, for which, through most of the book, there's no explanation. This man goes to work in a game manufacturing business that is described as a factory, but you get the impression these games are technologically advanced, but one particular scene makes it seem like they are slot machines.

These world-building issues are ones that might be relative. I'm all for leaving some things a mystery until the end of the book, but there has to be some balance so that your reader isn't shaking their head in confusion and losing interest.

There are also a lot of contradictions in this novel. In the fictional world, William creates a game called "Good Things Come to Those Who Wait," but the way in which he stumbles on the idea or knowledge of how to create this game was by opening a door to a room that he was told not to enter.

These are just tiny things compared to what's going on in the real world. Jordan's son is a college student who is struggling with alcohol abuse. Because this is a faith-based novel, alcoholism is like the worst possible thing that could happen to this kid, in his parent's eyes. They completely freak and discuss taking him to a therapist. At first, Jordan doesn't want to take him because she's worried that needing psychological help will make him feel that he's broken. But then, while sitting in the waiting room of the therapist's office, she has an internal dialogue that the therapist can take as long as he needs "repairing her son."

This touched a major nerve with me because I know many, many people (including myself) who have been treated as "others" in the Christian circle when dealing with mental illness. It's as if only non-Christians or people who are struggling with their faith could possibly have thoughts that are anything but sunshine and roses. It bothered me that it was only when there was an outward symptom of this kid's pain (the alcoholism) that the parents woke up and realized someone deeper was going on. Even then, he was a sinner for drinking, not someone who was struggling with a mental illness trying to cope.

I've read many faith-based novels that let the theme of religion float through the plot and they are wonderful books, but this felt forced the entire way through. It's fine to have characters who practice some kind of faith in your story, but when you get preachy about it and only highlight what is wrong with your non-faith characters is when it becomes annoying and this one crossed that line for me. I had high hopes for this book because I enjoyed Hunt's writing and the plot was intriguing, but overall, it fell short.

[Laura B · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I wasn't sure I'd like this novel. I liked the first chapter and the introduction of Jordan, the heroine, but the second chapter introduced William, and it was rather weird. Through the first quarter of the book, I didn't like the chapters about William, I found them to be a little irritating. I also had a problem with what seemed to me a huge shift in Jordan's character within the first few chapters. She went from a strong, confident woman to a weepy, weak character. I realize it's because of the conflict, but it was such a jarring change that I had trouble getting past it. Throughout the first quarter of the book, I thought about putting it down and not finishing it, but I struggled through and it did pick up. The chapters about William became more interesting, and the conflict Jordan was facing with her son took a heart-wrenching turn. In the end, I'm glad I finished it.

After the story in the allegory (William's story) picked up, I found myself not wanting to put the book down. So, if you have trouble like me with the first 25% of the book, push through it, it does get a lot better.

I do have one issue with this book. AH is a Christian author and writes Christian stories with an underlying gospel message which I really appreciate and one of the reasons why I read her books. However, She writes that God doesn't give people more than they can handle. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Nowhere in the Bible is that promise ever given. That is not a biblical statement. Statements like that turn people away from God when they are given too many trials, resulting in resentment towards HIM. Instead of telling people that, Christians should be encouraging, comforting those with the love of God, displaying God's grace and mercy to those that are suffering horrible tragedies. I'll get off my soapbox now.

I do recommend this book, however take the phrase "God doesn't give people more than they can handle" with a huge grain of salt.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from my local Free Little Library. Once I got into the story, I realized it was a SURPRISE! It's a Christian novel. Haha. No biggie, the story was good, and even kinda meta: a novelist writing a bout her son and her career and her desire to change things using allegory and prayer. Some of the quirks of the main character bugged me, like the stigma in the church of mental illness. I was afraid the book would push that throughout, but the end wraps up nicely as the main character changes just as she instructs her class that a good story has the character change at the end. So for a christian book, I felt it was pretty heavy with the topics and actually came out as a good read. However, hopefully if you read it, you finish it and know that mental health isn't a bad thing- like no ones going to judge you if you look for help, especially getting the right kind of help. It's out there.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book- a book within a book. Jordan Casey Kerrigan is a Christian middle-aged wife and mother who also happens to write spy novels under the name Jordan Casey. Their daughters are grown and successful, but their twenty-one year old son struggles with one bad decision after the other, keeping Jordan and her husband, Carl, on edge. Teaching a community college class on writing, Jordan is challenged by a student to write outside her usual genre, putting more of herself into the book. She decides to write an allegorical novella as a way to teach her class and help draw her son to God and be changed. As Jordan wrestles with the writing of the novella she finds it has a greater purpose. This book had been sitting in my basket of "to be read" books for a long time after picking it up at a book sale. I'm glad I finally took the time to read it. It is well worth reading.

[Carol Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I stumbled upon this book. I listened on audio and Ruth Ann Phimister is a fabulous narrator. Both the contemporary storyline and the allegorical storyline held my interest and I looked forward to each time I could continue listening. The contemporary element reveals how we tend to ineffectively deal with the extremely difficult parts of life when we don’t trust God and naturally want to avoid or fix the painful aspects of life. I very much appreciated how Angela Hunt expressed the difficulty of dealing with psychological disorders and of how God’s love can provide the strength and hope to make a real difference. Alongside the contemporary story, Angela Hunt also wove a fabulously creative allegorical story to depict how choice and evil affects our relationship with God and with others. This creative book will linger in my thoughts for a while.

[Sherry Ledet · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Angela Hunt tells a good story. In this story Jordan, an author is teaching a course in creative writing at a Jr. College and has been challenged to step out of her comfort zone to write something entirely new. As she teaches her class she and her husband are dealing with their 21yr old son whose behavior is also a challenge. Is his problem drugs? She hopes her story will be a lesson for their son as well as teaching a lesson plan for her class.
In the end Jordan learns as much as her son.

[Susan Anderson Misey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of The Novelist--as a writer myself I usually enjoy reading novels about other writers. I also love Angela Hunt as an author. Her historical novels are among my absolute faves. But this title fell a bit short for me. I just didn't like the allegory chapters (story within a story.) I didn't care about William and the other wooden peops in his world--except, of course, John the Jesus character. I wanted to get back to the heart of the story--the family drama with Jordan and her husband and their troubled son, Zach.

[Fiza Pathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. 'The Novelist' by Angela Hunt has been on my TBR shelf for the longest time ever. I'm so glad that at last in the year 2020, I found the time to read this 'cozy' book. It's a perfect read for the weekend & is very much a page turner. I was in love with the college course lecture room discussions by Jordan Casey mentioned in this book. I was also fascinated by the novella 'The Ambassador' created by Casey because of a dare given from a very strange source. All in all, a really good read. Pick up your Kindle copy of this book today. Hunt gets 4 stars from me.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Angela Elwell Hunt's books, but this one was just strange. It was like two books in one, because the protagonist, an author, writes a book as she tells her story. The book she writes is an allegory that has a powerful point, but the tale itself is fairly mechanical. Many of the characters go undeveloped and it just didn't deliver the satisfaction her novels normally do.

[Shana Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super! This story within a story was great. I loved the allegory of Redemption. I loved the writing style of moving from one story to the next and following the narrator’s life story with real problems along with the fictitious life in the allegory. Superb writing. I will definitely read more from this author.

[CindyHunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you enter Paradise...

You will be forever changed. Evil really does exist, but only if we just open the door. How can William change what happened and what happens when Casey realizes the Truth about her own reality.
This book grabbed hold the minute I stepped into Paradise and didn't let go until the very last word.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does Angela Hunt manage to veer off into so many directions with each book, yet each time bring the reader back to the basics of humanity and faith. In this story, characters find themselves through exploration of their weaknesses and learn the God remains true no matter what.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading so this was a perfect fit for me. The story is told thru the eyes of a novelist and you get an inside look at writing novels. But as the story progresses, her personal life becomes more troubled by the day. Captivating read that I highly recommend.

[Carol Rittelmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a great novel!

This story leaves me overwhelmed with emotion. Angela Hunt has written two novels in this book-a novel within a novel, and both stories are wonderful! My heart is full of love for our Creator and thankful he gave Angela Hunt this gift of writing books!