On the surface, it looks like Paul Callahan has it all. The family, the house, the job. But nothing is ever as perfect as it seems, and when a college friend contacts Paul out of the blue, he finds himself reliving his first year of college, when everything went so right, and then so very wrong.
Testament is a story of friendship and love and of the terrible evil people are capable of doing to one another. It is the story of a man doing his best to move forward, but struggling with an emotional anchor latched firmly in the past. But more than anything, it is a story about redemption and the unfathomable workings of the human heart.
Mark Dunn is the author of three novels: A Girl in Mind, The Last Night, and Testament. He is from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, but has lived most of his adult life in Ohio, Maine, and North Carolina. He is married to the photographer Piper Warlick and teaches English at a small private school outside of Charlotte.
Peter Callahan lives a normal and happy life, or so it seems. But after the visit of an old college friend he finds himself thinking about their time in college. Peter is re-living his time with his friends and the catastrophe which hangs over his head like a grey cloud since then. He is worried about his visitor and is trying to find him to make sure he is well. On his journey he is going through his life in college and lets the reader take a part. For me, it sometimes felt like driving with him on the passenger seat.
The book is telling us a story about friendship, families and love. And it shows perfectly how quickly things can move from a good time right into a catastrophe. Peter Callahan has been trying to live a normal life ever since, but his past has finally caught up with him.
The story started out quite slow. It took me some time to work my way into the main character and his life. But, it turned out to be such a good read. The plot is very enthralling and the author took his time revealing what the actually traumatic event Peter had endured happened to be. Therefore, it was so gripping. Moreover, the author has the ability to write in a way you can totally visualise the surroundings of Peter and the terrible event of the past.
I can fully recommend this book. It has a likeable character, who’s struggles seem real and it has a well thought plot which is entertaining right until the last line.
To be honest, I was not sure what I would think about this book. But I did enjoy it quite a bit! It was a different bit of suspense than I normally read but I found myself thinking back to the book when I was not reading it. I have not read anything by this author until this book but I was excited I liked this book. I would recommend this book to you! *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*
A Prologue sets the stage, and then ‘Testament’ combines elements of mystery, suspense, and drama to take the reader on a journey, providing just enough clues to connect all the dots, without really giving the ending away.
Mark Dunn has delivered a professional grade novel. I will definitely be looking for more of his work. Reviewed by Doug