Review: Tense Action, Deep Characters, & Excellent Themes
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2012
Dan Blakely is a low maintenance kind of guy.  He lives a simple life with his wife Sue and two children Jack and Murphy.  He is an English professor at Boone University and is on the path to a promotion.  All that changes one morning when he arrives at work to discover one of his students has accused him of inappropriate behavior.  As the weight of the accusation sinks in, Dan believes the only way out is suicide.  However, Time has other plans for him and instead of immediately taking his life, Dan is given the opportunity to relive seven hours or extend his life by seven hours.  He chooses to relive seven hours, but the seven hours he chooses could profoundly affect the lives of those he cares most about.  In Mike Dellosso's signature style of tense action, deep characters, and excellent themes, Rearview is a fantastic novella exploring the issues of regret and living the abundant life.Oh how I love books that explore the notion of time.  Time continues to march forward even when we want it to stop, but it also stalls when we'd desperately like it to move forward.  I can vividly recall instances when it felt like time stopped for me, but I watched as others continued with their lives.  Stories that explore time can offer such great encouragement and that's what I liked best about Rearview.  It's heartbreaking, but uplifting all while being entertaining.Dellosso has a way with analogies that can capture a moment and vividly portray a scene.  So many times though out this book, I found myself nodding along, completely understanding the emotions and the feelings that were being conveyed.  This story has a passion to it that made me feel a part of Dan's life.  I wanted him to make it to New York to see his family.  I wanted him to have more than just 7 hours.  I was completely sucked into his life and loved every minute.Dellosso is right--we need to live life with no regrets.  We should not be looking in our rearview mirror at things we cannot change.  That's the heart and soul of this story and it's demonstrated clearly.  God has given us each a finite amount of time and to lose that time--eaten up with regret--is a waste.I love how Rearview ends and I will not spoil it for readers.  Suffice to say, for a story that centers around death, it leaves a lasting impression of hope.  This is what I expect from Mike Dellosso's books--a story that takes the reader on an intense journey, often to the brink of despair, but leaves them with the joy and knowledge of our loving God.Review title provided courtesy of Tyndale