Book Review: Andy Andrews' "The Noticer"

I'm kicking off what I hope will be a regular feature here in Dixieland - book reviews. I've recently joined Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger program, mostly because I think it will be fun and, selfishly, I hope it'll help improve my own writing. Also, it gives me a great excuse to read books that don't rhyme or involve at least one Disney princess.

And because I just don't have enough to do. Sleep is so overrated, don't you think?

So here goes! My first review is of "The Noticer" by New York Times bestselling author Andy Andrews (who I'm rather ashamed to admit I'd never heard of before). Set in Orange Beach, Ala., the story is about a mysterious wanderer named Jones who seems to know who in the town, sometimes despite outward appearances, needs "a little perspective." Young or old, homeless or driven to succeed at all costs, the residents of Orange Beach find themselves listening to this strange old man who somehow knows their innermost hurts - and the words that soothe and heal when nothing else has.

The book jacket promised that reading this book was "your chance to regroup, take a breath and begin your life again." Really? I was skeptical that Mr. Book Jacket really understood the glorious insanity of my life and thought that was a seriously big promise to make to a woman who hasn't slept a full night in six years - but I was willing to give it at least 10 pages before I chucked it and gave in to the allure of a comfy bed.

And wouldn't you know it - I loved it. Dang you, Andy Andrews. I couldn't put the flippin' thing down until I'd finished it, even though it was well past my bedtime and I was even more bleary-eyed than usual the next day. The characters were intriguing, the writing was entertaining, and the simple wisdom Jones shared made me stop and think. The concepts were so common sense - gratefulness, forgiveness, actively choosing the difference you'll make in the world - that we (okay, I) seem to blow past them in search of more complex answers. We (Sigh - fine. I - happy now?) have such complex problems in such a complex world that simple concepts cannot possibly be the answer, right?

Oh, we'd like to think so, because doesn't that give us a marvelous excuse not to fix our problems? The answers are right in front of us - actually, I believe they're hard-wired into our very souls by the Creator who loves us unconditionally and wants us to be happy. But of course, we're stubborn - and silly - and too often think we know best. Andy Andrews helps us remember that stopping to take a breath can let in a lot more than air; it can let the life that God intended for us to come back into marvelous focus.