What if you were told that you had only twelve days to live? And what if that pronouncement was not given by a physician or surgeon, but instead by a young woman who claimed to be a divine messenger... and she had a gift to offer? What if you could not ignore her words? Even though your doctor gives you a clean bill of health, and life seems to be going along as smooth as ever, if what she said was correct, then every day, every hour, every second that passed was bringing you closer to your own death. And what if you believed in your heart that every word she said was true? In The Midnight Saint, an ordinary man is faced with extremely extraordinary circumstances, and his world is turned upside-down as his last twelve days tick slowly away...
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Daniel & Jen are traveling with their four year old daughter, trying to get to Little Rock, Arkansas where a new job and life awaits them. Just a few hours shy of their destination, they find themselves out of gas and out of money, but luckily are able to coast to a gas station. Desperate to get where they need to be, Jen sends a silent prayer to Saint Lucia -- not sure why she chooses Lucia, the patron saint of those with blindness / eye trouble but hey, it's how the story went -- for help. Meanwhile, Daniel talks with a man at the gas station, begging him to buy Daniel's tools so they can have enough money to finish their trip. This man, Adam, hesitantly agrees, but as Daniel goes in to pay for the gas, Adam approaches their car with the toolbox, not only giving back the tools but also handing them additional money and best wishes for a successful life ahead.
Later that night, which just happens to be December 13th aka Saint Lucia Day, the saint herself visits Adam with good news and bad news. Good news is Adam earned big brownie points with the big guy upstairs with his act of charity earlier, bad news is he's going to die. But to ease the shock of the news, Lucia reveals that Adam has earned himself 12 nights of visitations from Lucia where he may ask one question each night about death, any question at all as long as it does not pertain to specifics of his own death. His death will be addressed on the 12th night (which lands on Christmas Eve --- umm, Happy Holidays?).
The first couple days are understandably a panic for Adam. It's a lot to comprehend on short notice! On one hand, what a huge gift to be able to ask a heavenly being any question about the afterlife, and yet in the process you have to face your own mortality. During the holiday season no less! Watching how Adam processes the emotions around this journey each night made for a pretty compelling read. It's almost like he went through all the stages of grieving -- you know: anger, bargaining, acceptance, etc -- but with his own death, and the question he chooses each night reflects his emotions of the day. I could really feel Lucia's disappointment when one night his question is formed in an angry, petty way that angers him even more because her answer leaves him unsatisfied, to which she basically responds with, "Well, what did you expect?!" But I liked how he took the whole process seriously, even making the most of each day prior to meeting with Lucia at night -- being attentive with his daughter, mending damaged friendships, showering his wife with moments of deep, loving affection.
I think the conversation that impacted me the most was the one on Day 9, when Lucia tells him so simple but so profound regarding how the whole "faith of a mustard seed" thing is truly meant to work. She basically tells him that one would hope if you knew you had the power to move mountains within you, you wouldn't waste that kind of power on something as pointless as literally moving a mountain. BOOM.
There was a really beautiful simplicity to this short novel that I think will speak to the hearts of many. It's one I could definitely see recommending to friends and family trying to work through a grieving process.
FTC Disclaimer: BookCrash.com & 23 Publishing kindly offered me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
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