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Audrey (Warped Shelves)'s Reviews > The Soul City Salvation
The Soul City Salvation
by
by
4.25 stars
“Life’s a perpetual state of becoming. Just relax. Breathe.”
He’s back! My favorite underrated author is back again! Picking up one of Jonathan LaPoma’s novels feels to me like coming home. It feels like a hug.Like somebody understands and isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. The Soul City Salvation, much like LaPoma’s other novels, is about a man seeking to find his way in the world while overcoming his demons that seek to ruin him. It’s about his OCD and anxiety finally coming to a head and the ensuing journey of self-discovery as he tries to decipher why he is the way that he is. The main character Jay’s struggles are so honest that it hurts. There are parts where Jay’s critical (read: mean) inner voice addresses him directly, and the first time this happened it gave me goosebumps because it was so similar to that voice in my own head. (Again, I am a little bit concerned for LaPoma’s own mental health. Nobody can write anything so brutally honest without firsthand experience.)
Even being over 400 pages long I absolutely devoured this story! It’s one of those “Just one more chapter!” books; I didn’t want to stop until it was over. This is an epic journey of a man living his truth, and although there is a lot of back and forth and ups and downs, that just emphasizes the realism of dealing with mental disorders. Healing isn’t a linear path. And sometimes the things we do to try and better ourselves do more harm than good. This made the story all the more interesting because I needed to know if there would be a happy ending for Jay. Me, the lover of sad, morbid endings, wanting a happy ending for this character who isn’t even really that “likable” to me! Incredible! Unbelievable!
The Soul City Salvation had me in tears as it hit me over and over again that other people think the way I do, and that, if it can be okay for them, I can survive too. That’s not to say that I have anything nearly as severe as Jay going on in my head, but hope is hope is hope. This novel preaches hope and understanding in these blasé fast times.
All else I can say is: if you are looking for one of those books that deals with real issues, mental health, or slightly psychedelic self healing, The Soul City Salvation is definitely worth a read.
(Just kidding, I can say more. The passion that this author has for his work pulses through the story. You can really tell that he puts everything into what he writes, and this is one of the things that I always love about LaPoma’s work. The passion doesn’t come across feeling forced, either, which is a major plus! Jonathan LaPoma has insane talent in writing and I wish more than anything that he were more popular because he deserves the recognition so, so much! (I’ll stop gushing now—sorry!))
“Someday, I’ll be okay with just me, and I’ll hope with everything that I have, that you’ll be okay with just you too.”
“Life’s a perpetual state of becoming. Just relax. Breathe.”
He’s back! My favorite underrated author is back again! Picking up one of Jonathan LaPoma’s novels feels to me like coming home. It feels like a hug.Like somebody understands and isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. The Soul City Salvation, much like LaPoma’s other novels, is about a man seeking to find his way in the world while overcoming his demons that seek to ruin him. It’s about his OCD and anxiety finally coming to a head and the ensuing journey of self-discovery as he tries to decipher why he is the way that he is. The main character Jay’s struggles are so honest that it hurts. There are parts where Jay’s critical (read: mean) inner voice addresses him directly, and the first time this happened it gave me goosebumps because it was so similar to that voice in my own head. (Again, I am a little bit concerned for LaPoma’s own mental health. Nobody can write anything so brutally honest without firsthand experience.)
Even being over 400 pages long I absolutely devoured this story! It’s one of those “Just one more chapter!” books; I didn’t want to stop until it was over. This is an epic journey of a man living his truth, and although there is a lot of back and forth and ups and downs, that just emphasizes the realism of dealing with mental disorders. Healing isn’t a linear path. And sometimes the things we do to try and better ourselves do more harm than good. This made the story all the more interesting because I needed to know if there would be a happy ending for Jay. Me, the lover of sad, morbid endings, wanting a happy ending for this character who isn’t even really that “likable” to me! Incredible! Unbelievable!
The Soul City Salvation had me in tears as it hit me over and over again that other people think the way I do, and that, if it can be okay for them, I can survive too. That’s not to say that I have anything nearly as severe as Jay going on in my head, but hope is hope is hope. This novel preaches hope and understanding in these blasé fast times.
All else I can say is: if you are looking for one of those books that deals with real issues, mental health, or slightly psychedelic self healing, The Soul City Salvation is definitely worth a read.
(Just kidding, I can say more. The passion that this author has for his work pulses through the story. You can really tell that he puts everything into what he writes, and this is one of the things that I always love about LaPoma’s work. The passion doesn’t come across feeling forced, either, which is a major plus! Jonathan LaPoma has insane talent in writing and I wish more than anything that he were more popular because he deserves the recognition so, so much! (I’ll stop gushing now—sorry!))
“Someday, I’ll be okay with just me, and I’ll hope with everything that I have, that you’ll be okay with just you too.”
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Reading Progress
January 5, 2020
–
Started Reading
January 5, 2020
– Shelved
January 5, 2020
– Shelved as:
popsugar-2020
January 9, 2020
–
Finished Reading
