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When It Matters Most
Disconnected, arrogant, and a little too fond of scotch, Simon drifts through the routines of his day, garnering the praise that sustains him. Decades of experience provide a menu of phrases and gestures to soothe and gently manipulate those in his care. His pastoral gifts are particularly evident when he presides at funerals, where he savors equally the admiration of onlookers and the extra paycheck.
Simon s only point of tension rests with his nineteen year old daughter, Ailish, whom he loves but no longer enjoys. Both are resigned to their cohabitation, enduring as they wait for the day she completes her degree and they are released.
A knock on the office door interrupts the uniformity of his days, when an unfamiliar child challenges Simon over his handling of a eulogy. Transfixed by her unlikely maturity, he continues to listen, even as the child relates a wisdom story. By the time she departs, Simon finds himself no clearer about her identity and far less certain of his own.
With each subsequent interaction with the dying and their families, Simon encounters another enigmatic visitor who compels him to break routines and delve more deeply into his own life and relationships.
Woven around wisdom tales with roots in Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Taoist traditions, "When It Matters Most," explores how our framing of relationships, grief, and purpose impacts our own experience and the lives of those around us.
Drawing on a background of corporate leadership, mediation, and religious thought, Keven Fletcher works as a storyteller and advisor within a globally diverse, academic community."
Simon s only point of tension rests with his nineteen year old daughter, Ailish, whom he loves but no longer enjoys. Both are resigned to their cohabitation, enduring as they wait for the day she completes her degree and they are released.
A knock on the office door interrupts the uniformity of his days, when an unfamiliar child challenges Simon over his handling of a eulogy. Transfixed by her unlikely maturity, he continues to listen, even as the child relates a wisdom story. By the time she departs, Simon finds himself no clearer about her identity and far less certain of his own.
With each subsequent interaction with the dying and their families, Simon encounters another enigmatic visitor who compels him to break routines and delve more deeply into his own life and relationships.
Woven around wisdom tales with roots in Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Taoist traditions, "When It Matters Most," explores how our framing of relationships, grief, and purpose impacts our own experience and the lives of those around us.
Drawing on a background of corporate leadership, mediation, and religious thought, Keven Fletcher works as a storyteller and advisor within a globally diverse, academic community."
185 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 2016
239 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 7, 2016
This spiritual journey is a delightful read that uses storytelling as a means of gaining understanding of the world and our place in it. Simon's journey is not unlike our own, as we seek to find meaning and embrace relationships.
D.A. Hawes - author and teacher
D.A. Hawes - author and teacher
June 13, 2022
Surprised how few people have reviewed this...I feel special finding this at my local library. This book was a super easy read that definitely had an impact on me and how I view the world. I did find some of the stories to not line up with the morals super well, but overall, I liked hearing all the little tales as I don't know a whole lot of them.
November 30, 2017
The Subtitle (A Novel) of "When it Matters Most" does not do it justice. It's ancient wisdom dressed up in mystery, heartbreak and humour.
The book's unique structure comprises three voices, which sounds complicated, but it's not. We hit the ground running from the first sentence as Keven Fletcher masterfully inserts us into the head of the protagonist, Simon. I was immediately drawn into the story and had a hard time putting the book down.
Through clear and economical descriptions, the narrative begins in a third-person, present-tense scene, and we swiftly begin assembling a picture of Simon. Then, within a few short pages, the viewpoint changes to first person, in Simon's own voice. We learn more from a different angle. Next, a mysterious stranger arrives to relate the first of 14 mythical wisdom tales that relate to our main character's struggles. As Simon learns more about the nature of the mysterious strangers he meets, he learns more about himself. No one may quite be as they appear.
The shifting voice is a is remarkably efficient and effective device for moving the action and broadening our impressions. The structure could easily have been confusing, but it works. I am intrigued to find out if the narrative was constructed to serve the wisdom tales, or if they are a tool Fletcher used to strengthen the story. It also doesn't matter to me, because the flow is so good, the story is captivating, and the lessons are relevant.
Although I found some of Simon's flaws unsettling, his gradual acknowledgment of them made me relate to him more. I cheered as he tackled, in his own imperfect way, the deep questions that nagged at him about his own values and integrity. I felt myself putting the puzzle pieces of life together along with him. I enjoyed witnessing his journey from what could be called an existential crisis, or at least mid-life crisis, through to renewal. The nature of this outcome was not predictable.
I like Fletcher's style, and I'd regularly linger over or return to a striking passage. Some of my favourite lines from the book:
"It's amazing what people can offer when you give them a chance. Of course with some of them, opening a conversation is like taking the wrapper off a nut bar, but you can't win them all."
"Catching fish is a necessary nuisance."
"For a story to be meaningful it must stand on its own, otherwise it's about the messenger, not the message."
"In some ways grief and gratitude exist as two sides of the same coin—the experience of one makes the reality of the other more meaningful." In particular this line moved me, as I have used the same turn of phrase and know it from personal experience to be true. The author's understanding of the human condition and human behaviour—pride, anxiety, self-doubt, but most of all loss—is evident.
I felt edified by "When it Matters Most", but never preached to. It was an invitation to engage and explore, and it was fun along the way. At the book's end, Simon can laugh at himself with compassion. This is when you know he's survived his crisis and come out the other side more humble and hopeful. I can relate.
The book's unique structure comprises three voices, which sounds complicated, but it's not. We hit the ground running from the first sentence as Keven Fletcher masterfully inserts us into the head of the protagonist, Simon. I was immediately drawn into the story and had a hard time putting the book down.
Through clear and economical descriptions, the narrative begins in a third-person, present-tense scene, and we swiftly begin assembling a picture of Simon. Then, within a few short pages, the viewpoint changes to first person, in Simon's own voice. We learn more from a different angle. Next, a mysterious stranger arrives to relate the first of 14 mythical wisdom tales that relate to our main character's struggles. As Simon learns more about the nature of the mysterious strangers he meets, he learns more about himself. No one may quite be as they appear.
The shifting voice is a is remarkably efficient and effective device for moving the action and broadening our impressions. The structure could easily have been confusing, but it works. I am intrigued to find out if the narrative was constructed to serve the wisdom tales, or if they are a tool Fletcher used to strengthen the story. It also doesn't matter to me, because the flow is so good, the story is captivating, and the lessons are relevant.
Although I found some of Simon's flaws unsettling, his gradual acknowledgment of them made me relate to him more. I cheered as he tackled, in his own imperfect way, the deep questions that nagged at him about his own values and integrity. I felt myself putting the puzzle pieces of life together along with him. I enjoyed witnessing his journey from what could be called an existential crisis, or at least mid-life crisis, through to renewal. The nature of this outcome was not predictable.
I like Fletcher's style, and I'd regularly linger over or return to a striking passage. Some of my favourite lines from the book:
"It's amazing what people can offer when you give them a chance. Of course with some of them, opening a conversation is like taking the wrapper off a nut bar, but you can't win them all."
"Catching fish is a necessary nuisance."
"For a story to be meaningful it must stand on its own, otherwise it's about the messenger, not the message."
"In some ways grief and gratitude exist as two sides of the same coin—the experience of one makes the reality of the other more meaningful." In particular this line moved me, as I have used the same turn of phrase and know it from personal experience to be true. The author's understanding of the human condition and human behaviour—pride, anxiety, self-doubt, but most of all loss—is evident.
I felt edified by "When it Matters Most", but never preached to. It was an invitation to engage and explore, and it was fun along the way. At the book's end, Simon can laugh at himself with compassion. This is when you know he's survived his crisis and come out the other side more humble and hopeful. I can relate.
July 4, 2016
First off, I'd like to thank Elevate Publishing for my giveaway copy of this in exchange for an honest review. This was not a book I would typically read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was about a minister, Simon, who must deal with the death of his parishioners on a daily basis. One day a stranger shows up and tells him a story with a heartfelt lesson, like a parable. From that day forward, strangers in all out different forms appear to share their short stories with Simon. I interpreted that the strangers were actually angels who have come to guide Simon through difficult times, as near the end of the book, he faces a devastatingly loss. In the end, Simon has learned many lessons from life and the stories and he has received an abundance of wisdom, which he applies to his everyday life.
I enjoyed the plot and the stories intermixed throughout. They were both thought-provoking and inspirational. My only issue was that I had to concentrate and reread at times in order to extract the message, so I would not consider this to be a light read for relaxation.
I also found the author's switching from first-person to third-person with Simon's character to be disjointed and slightly confusing at times, though it did not detract much from the overall message.
Overall, I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to read this. It made me think about what's important in life and inspires me to move forward in life with the valuable lessons from each story in mind.
I enjoyed the plot and the stories intermixed throughout. They were both thought-provoking and inspirational. My only issue was that I had to concentrate and reread at times in order to extract the message, so I would not consider this to be a light read for relaxation.
I also found the author's switching from first-person to third-person with Simon's character to be disjointed and slightly confusing at times, though it did not detract much from the overall message.
Overall, I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to read this. It made me think about what's important in life and inspires me to move forward in life with the valuable lessons from each story in mind.
July 22, 2016
This book was a giveaway from Elevate in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The story revolves around a minister who makes side money conducting funerals, and his relationship with daughter. It starts out he is fairly disconnected from his parishioners, his daughter, and even from himself, but after receiving visit after visit from various "ghostly" individuals, each with his or her own story to share, he begins to open his mind and see things in a different way. Thankfully, this change of heart occurs in the nick of time, allowing for a chance to reconnect with his daughter before it's too late.
To the reader, the stories are somewhat interesting, but become tiresome chapter after chapter, with the same predictable pattern where the main character encounters a situation, and then an individual with, at times, a preachy story to apply to the given situation.
It wraps up nicely though, when an unpredictable event occurs, and the cumulative stories, have prevented the main character from missing out on reconnecting with a daughter, and ultimately, with himself.
The story revolves around a minister who makes side money conducting funerals, and his relationship with daughter. It starts out he is fairly disconnected from his parishioners, his daughter, and even from himself, but after receiving visit after visit from various "ghostly" individuals, each with his or her own story to share, he begins to open his mind and see things in a different way. Thankfully, this change of heart occurs in the nick of time, allowing for a chance to reconnect with his daughter before it's too late.
To the reader, the stories are somewhat interesting, but become tiresome chapter after chapter, with the same predictable pattern where the main character encounters a situation, and then an individual with, at times, a preachy story to apply to the given situation.
It wraps up nicely though, when an unpredictable event occurs, and the cumulative stories, have prevented the main character from missing out on reconnecting with a daughter, and ultimately, with himself.
July 24, 2016
This novel is beautifully written and brilliantly conceived. The narrative is engrossing. And the connections that the author draws are both surprising and deep. Its narrative structure is a sort of paradoxical synthesis: both strikingly simple and unusually complex. Its language and plot are readily accessible. But the wisdom it conveys comes through a delightfully diverse array of parables from various disparate cultures and wisdom traditions.
As a result, WIMM enlightens and provokes as much as it entertains. On the one hand, it's an immensely satisfying read; on the other, it yields lessons worth savoring, worth returning to again and again. I'm not sure what else this author may have written and published already. But I'm already on the lookout for the next pages to be penned by this remarkable writer. Here's hoping that more is forthcoming from Keven Fletcher soon!
As a result, WIMM enlightens and provokes as much as it entertains. On the one hand, it's an immensely satisfying read; on the other, it yields lessons worth savoring, worth returning to again and again. I'm not sure what else this author may have written and published already. But I'm already on the lookout for the next pages to be penned by this remarkable writer. Here's hoping that more is forthcoming from Keven Fletcher soon!
June 29, 2016
A delightful story. The narrative fits very well with the stories included, but the stories would be great to visit alone. While I was reading, I kept thinking that they would be a nice lesson for church, or for the classroom. They're simple enough that all ages could enjoy them, though younger kids may need help to understand the intended message. A journey like Simon's would be amazing to watch or experience in real life.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
June 14, 2016
This is a Goodreads win review. This book is so very good. It is about relationships, grief and purpose. These things I learned after I lost my parents.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews