Blog Tour Stop: Angel by Laura Lee

I'm happy to host a virtual book tour stop for the novel, Angel by Laura Lee!

Angel
by Laura Lee

200 pages
Publisher: Itineris Press
September 27, 2011
Genre: Literary Fiction

Since the loss of his lively, charming wife to cancer six years ago, minister Paul Tobit has been operating on autopilot, performing his religious duties by rote. Everything changes the day he enters the church lobby and encounters a radiant, luminous being lit from behind, breathtakingly beautiful and glowing with life. An angel. For a moment Paul is so moved by his vision that he is tempted to fall on his knees and pray.

Even after he regains his focus and realizes he simply met a flesh-and-blood young man, Paul cannot shake his sense of awe and wonder. He feels an instant and overwhelming attraction for the young man, which puzzles him even as it fills his thoughts and fires his feelings. Paul has no doubt that God has spoken to him through this vision, and Paul must determine what God is calling him to do.

Thus begins a journey that will inspire Paul’s ministry but put him at odds with his church as he is forced to examine his deeply held beliefs and assumptions about himself, his community, and the nature of love.

My Review

Paul is a minister who finds himself going through the mundane motions in his ministry, admitting a loss of passion for creating inspirational sermons since the death of his wife. At church he meets a troubled guy named Ian. Paul is positive God has placed this young man into his life for a reason. Paul tries to uncover the message God is sending through Ian, while attempting to understand an attraction to him.

I really like how Paul’s feelings for Ian challenge a variety of things in his life, such as his identity, faith, and reevaluation of what love means. Paul walks a fine line of being infatuated with Ian and being in love with him. I feel the obstacles their relationship face are realistic issues.

Laura Lee has written a heart-wrenching story about the conflict between homosexuality and Christianity. The battle of being true to yourself while attempting to conform to your community’s expectations, even more so for Paul who is a role model in his church. I couldn’t help but get wrapped up in this bittersweet love story.

Author Info

Metro Detroit native Laura Lee divides her time equally between writing and producing ballet educational tours with her partner, the artistic director of the Russian National Ballet Foundation. She is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction books with such publishers as Harper Collins, Reader's Digest, Running Press, Broadway Books, Lyons Press and Black Dog and Leventhal. Her Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation has sold more than 85,000 copies. She has also written one collection of poetry (Invited to Sound), and a children's book (A Child's Introduction to Ballet). She brings to her writing a unique background as a radio announcer, improvisational comic and one-time professional mime.

See also: angelthenovel.com