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Jesus Boy
“Like Dostoyevsky, Allen colorfully evokes the gambling milieu—the chained (mis)fortunes of the players, their vanities and grotesqueries, their quasi-philosophical ruminations on chance. Like Burroughs, he is a dispassionate chronicler of the addict’s daily ritual, neither glorifying nor vilifying the matter at hand.”—The New York Times Book Review, on All or Nothing
Into an austere community of Christian believers at the Church of Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters come the star-crossed African American Romeo and Juliet. In the world of Jesus Boy, Romeo is sixteen-year-old Elwyn Parker, a devout and sincere piano prodigy who learns too late that the saintly girl he has had a crush on all his life is inexplicably pregnant and soon to be wed. Juliet is the beautiful widow, Sister Morrisohn, age forty-two, who, in the pain and confused emotions of her grieving, ends up in Elwyn’s arms.
Despite the problems posed by their age difference and the strict prohibitions of their strong religious beliefs, Elwyn and Sister Morrisohn’s love is true, and as it grows among the ascetics, abstainers, and holy ghost rollers of their church, it exposes with wit, poignancy, and insight the dark secrets and ancient crimes of the pious. In Jesus Boy, Elwyn learns through tragedy and epiphany that the holy are no different from the rest of us.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Preston L. Allen
15 books41 followersPreston L. Allen is the author of the new novel, I DISAPPEARED THEM (Akashic 2024)
Preston L. Allen, a graduate of the University of Florida (BA '87) and Florida International University (MFA '94), is a recipient of a State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship and a recipient of the Sonja H. Stone Prize in Fiction. His work has been published in the Seattle Review and the Crab Orchard Review and has been anthologized in Las Vegas Noir, Miami Noir, Brown Sugar, Making the Hook-Up, and Here We Are: a Collection of South Florida Writers. His short story collection CHURCHBOYS AND OTHER SINNERS (Carolina Wren Press 2003) is the winner of the Sonja H. Stone Prize in Fiction, and his novels ALL OR NOTHING, JESUS BOY, and EVERY BOY SHOULD HAVE A MAN have received rave reviews from the New York Times Book Review, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, The Kirkus Review, Florida Book Review, The Feminist Review, and Foreword Magazine.
His latest novel is I DISAPPEARED THEM (Akashic, 2024).
https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/....
He teaches creative writing in Miami, Florida. You can find him on Facebook or on his blog, PrestonLaLLen.blogspot.com. email: pallenagogy@aol.com
Preston L. Allen, a graduate of the University of Florida (BA '87) and Florida International University (MFA '94), is a recipient of a State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship and a recipient of the Sonja H. Stone Prize in Fiction. His work has been published in the Seattle Review and the Crab Orchard Review and has been anthologized in Las Vegas Noir, Miami Noir, Brown Sugar, Making the Hook-Up, and Here We Are: a Collection of South Florida Writers. His short story collection CHURCHBOYS AND OTHER SINNERS (Carolina Wren Press 2003) is the winner of the Sonja H. Stone Prize in Fiction, and his novels ALL OR NOTHING, JESUS BOY, and EVERY BOY SHOULD HAVE A MAN have received rave reviews from the New York Times Book Review, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, The Kirkus Review, Florida Book Review, The Feminist Review, and Foreword Magazine.
His latest novel is I DISAPPEARED THEM (Akashic, 2024).
https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/....
He teaches creative writing in Miami, Florida. You can find him on Facebook or on his blog, PrestonLaLLen.blogspot.com. email: pallenagogy@aol.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 31, 2012
This novel is not for everybody. The satire is sharp and the wit is downright wicked. Fans of Percival Everett will rejoice. I appreciated the bold plot and the complicated POV. I read the entire book on a six hour flight.
July 1, 2010
May 6, 2010
The Ecstasy and the Ecstasy
By JULIA SCHEERES
JESUS BOY
By Preston L. Allen
368 pp. Akashic Books. Paper, $15.95
What is it about church that is so damn sexy? The question has bugged me for a long time. An erotic current runs just below the displays of rectitude and purity, despite the hard pews and organ repertory. I suspect it has to do with the congregants’ concerted effort to suppress carnality in favor of distant heavenly rewards. Denying the flesh only makes it throb harder. It’s tricky to defeat one’s own biology, especially when young. It bubbles up during sermons as eyes and thoughts wander. The nape of a boy’s neck sitting two rows up — that modest strip of naked flesh between hairline and suit jacket — can surprisingly arouse.
Sixteen-year-old Elwyn Parker, the protagonist of Preston L. Allen’s novel “Jesus Boy,” is smitten by something just as banal: the glimpse of a twice-pierced, yet unadorned earlobe. The ear belongs to Elaine Morrisohn, 42, a freshly widowed member of his black community’s church, Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters. The widow’s earlobes lend credence to rumors that she lived a life of “singular wickedness” before she accepted the Lord. As Elwyn boasts to his high school principal, in this church “we don’t drink, don’t smoke, and our women don’t wear pants.” Jewelry is forbidden, as is coffee, dancing, secular music and most forms of fun.
But these strictures do nothing to repress the congregation’s primal urges, and generations of illicit sex run through this clever and wide-ranging book in which the flesh always triumphs. “Jesus Boy” could well be titled “Jesus People,” for it is crowded with backsliders, hypocrites, horny preachers and shunned “outside” children. All the furtive copulation makes for a general kinkiness that permeates the sanctuary like cheap aftershave. In one case, a couple decides to stop fornicating and get married — only to discover they are distant relatives.
When Elwyn discovers that the girl for whom he’s harbored a long but chaste crush is pregnant, he turns to the pierced widow to explore his own impulses. He visits her just hours after her husband’s burial — she is still in her funeral dress — to ask about the sins she committed in her former life, and whether she ever feels like “yielding.” She does. And she shows him how.
Surely no one does church sexy like Allen. In his worship services, the Holy Ghost descends on women who collapse in the aisle with “spasming legs” and preachers whip their flocks into orgiastic frenzies. The middle-aged widow gazes soulfully at her teenage lover as he strokes the piano during a hymn, “so tight and so fresh and so full of juice,” and calls out an “orgasm shout” that is lost among the holiness shouts.
These people want ecstasy in heaven and on earth. They may lapse into sin, but they can’t shake religion entirely because it is their identity. They quote the Bible — yea, the King James Version — as they beat each other up. They pray before cheating and raise holy hands in the middle of a seduction. One adulterous couple, knowing their congregation will ostracize them if they go public with their liaison, reach an impasse when it comes to finding a new church. As the man ticks off denominations, the woman finds faults with each. She can’t bear to leave her spiritual home of so many years. “Love will conquer all,” her lover finally reassures her. “Love will find a way.”
“Will it?” she responds.
The sinners here take comfort in the notion that “Christ is married to the backslider,” and will forgive their trespasses “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). That’s 490 times, or about one aberration every two months over an 80-year lifespan — not much. Like Ted Haggard-Jim Bakker-Jimmy Swaggart, when their hypocrisy and dirty secrets are revealed, they expect, even demand, forgiveness.
Allen’s writing is by turns solemn and funny. There is a revival scene staged by three ministers — two are African- American, one white — that is hilarious. As the “Rev’run” struts around the stage in a mint-green double-breasted suit berating the audience, the adulterous Rev. McGowan responds with tears, but the white minister leaps to his feet, slings the Rev’run aside and screams gibberish into the microphone before sprinting down the aisle and out the door. The stunned audience “pondered the role of the white minister,” Allen writes, while the two black preachers wondered who he was; neither had invited him. Was the mystery man speaking in tongues, reacting to the Rev’run’s emotional appeal or exhibiting psychosis? The reader must decide if his behavior is any more schizoid than that of the zealous sinners or sinning zealots who people this book.
Allen’s previous books include “All or Nothing,” a novel about gambling addiction (as this one is about religious addiction) and “Churchboys and Other Sinners,” a story collection in which Elwyn is a recurring character. It would be easy for “Jesus Boy” to become fluffy satire, but Allen keeps his characters real. Elwyn, who once aspired to become “a beacon unto the faithful,” becomes something much more profane. His faith wanes, but he still slips into the pews now and again to get his fix by singing the hymns he’s known since boyhood. He leaves before the sermon begins. There is nostalgia for the simple morality, the fellowship, the promise of celestial rewards. Old habits are hard to break.
Julia Scheeres is the author of “Jesus Land,” a memoir. She is working on a book about the Jonestown mass murder-suicides.
The Ecstasy and the Ecstasy
By JULIA SCHEERES
JESUS BOY
By Preston L. Allen
368 pp. Akashic Books. Paper, $15.95
What is it about church that is so damn sexy? The question has bugged me for a long time. An erotic current runs just below the displays of rectitude and purity, despite the hard pews and organ repertory. I suspect it has to do with the congregants’ concerted effort to suppress carnality in favor of distant heavenly rewards. Denying the flesh only makes it throb harder. It’s tricky to defeat one’s own biology, especially when young. It bubbles up during sermons as eyes and thoughts wander. The nape of a boy’s neck sitting two rows up — that modest strip of naked flesh between hairline and suit jacket — can surprisingly arouse.
Sixteen-year-old Elwyn Parker, the protagonist of Preston L. Allen’s novel “Jesus Boy,” is smitten by something just as banal: the glimpse of a twice-pierced, yet unadorned earlobe. The ear belongs to Elaine Morrisohn, 42, a freshly widowed member of his black community’s church, Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters. The widow’s earlobes lend credence to rumors that she lived a life of “singular wickedness” before she accepted the Lord. As Elwyn boasts to his high school principal, in this church “we don’t drink, don’t smoke, and our women don’t wear pants.” Jewelry is forbidden, as is coffee, dancing, secular music and most forms of fun.
But these strictures do nothing to repress the congregation’s primal urges, and generations of illicit sex run through this clever and wide-ranging book in which the flesh always triumphs. “Jesus Boy” could well be titled “Jesus People,” for it is crowded with backsliders, hypocrites, horny preachers and shunned “outside” children. All the furtive copulation makes for a general kinkiness that permeates the sanctuary like cheap aftershave. In one case, a couple decides to stop fornicating and get married — only to discover they are distant relatives.
When Elwyn discovers that the girl for whom he’s harbored a long but chaste crush is pregnant, he turns to the pierced widow to explore his own impulses. He visits her just hours after her husband’s burial — she is still in her funeral dress — to ask about the sins she committed in her former life, and whether she ever feels like “yielding.” She does. And she shows him how.
Surely no one does church sexy like Allen. In his worship services, the Holy Ghost descends on women who collapse in the aisle with “spasming legs” and preachers whip their flocks into orgiastic frenzies. The middle-aged widow gazes soulfully at her teenage lover as he strokes the piano during a hymn, “so tight and so fresh and so full of juice,” and calls out an “orgasm shout” that is lost among the holiness shouts.
These people want ecstasy in heaven and on earth. They may lapse into sin, but they can’t shake religion entirely because it is their identity. They quote the Bible — yea, the King James Version — as they beat each other up. They pray before cheating and raise holy hands in the middle of a seduction. One adulterous couple, knowing their congregation will ostracize them if they go public with their liaison, reach an impasse when it comes to finding a new church. As the man ticks off denominations, the woman finds faults with each. She can’t bear to leave her spiritual home of so many years. “Love will conquer all,” her lover finally reassures her. “Love will find a way.”
“Will it?” she responds.
The sinners here take comfort in the notion that “Christ is married to the backslider,” and will forgive their trespasses “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). That’s 490 times, or about one aberration every two months over an 80-year lifespan — not much. Like Ted Haggard-Jim Bakker-Jimmy Swaggart, when their hypocrisy and dirty secrets are revealed, they expect, even demand, forgiveness.
Allen’s writing is by turns solemn and funny. There is a revival scene staged by three ministers — two are African- American, one white — that is hilarious. As the “Rev’run” struts around the stage in a mint-green double-breasted suit berating the audience, the adulterous Rev. McGowan responds with tears, but the white minister leaps to his feet, slings the Rev’run aside and screams gibberish into the microphone before sprinting down the aisle and out the door. The stunned audience “pondered the role of the white minister,” Allen writes, while the two black preachers wondered who he was; neither had invited him. Was the mystery man speaking in tongues, reacting to the Rev’run’s emotional appeal or exhibiting psychosis? The reader must decide if his behavior is any more schizoid than that of the zealous sinners or sinning zealots who people this book.
Allen’s previous books include “All or Nothing,” a novel about gambling addiction (as this one is about religious addiction) and “Churchboys and Other Sinners,” a story collection in which Elwyn is a recurring character. It would be easy for “Jesus Boy” to become fluffy satire, but Allen keeps his characters real. Elwyn, who once aspired to become “a beacon unto the faithful,” becomes something much more profane. His faith wanes, but he still slips into the pews now and again to get his fix by singing the hymns he’s known since boyhood. He leaves before the sermon begins. There is nostalgia for the simple morality, the fellowship, the promise of celestial rewards. Old habits are hard to break.
Julia Scheeres is the author of “Jesus Land,” a memoir. She is working on a book about the Jonestown mass murder-suicides.
January 24, 2015
I did not expect to like this book. I figured that it was a comic and satirical novel of the fervently religious. Making fun of fundamental religion is usually as easy as shooting fish in a barrel and only half as much fun. But the book while all about the overtly religious and in particular a young man who lives and breaths the gospel, is more about the humanity and common bonds that run through all of us. It is a very funny book. And oh so scandalous. Why are scandals among those who tell us that we will go to hell so much more delicious when we realize that they also fall prey to sin and greed. And why does it seem that these religious people seem to approach matters of sex with the same gusto they bring to their worship?
This reviewer is hardly religious but the people seemed honest and intelligent and believable. Not the cartoon characters they could have become in a lesser skilled narrators hands. But wow , who knew that there were so many secrets hidden behind church walls. And the sex! There are many near misses that could have lead to unknowing incest, Secrets by the dozens, unknown half brothers, unrequited puppy love and more serious topics of spousal abuse, gay bashing and racism. Just like real life. The author obviously know a lot about Pentecostal Christianity and it shows. Even as a distinctly non-religious man I happily spend a morning in their church and an afternoon in their company. And did I say its hilarious!
This reviewer is hardly religious but the people seemed honest and intelligent and believable. Not the cartoon characters they could have become in a lesser skilled narrators hands. But wow , who knew that there were so many secrets hidden behind church walls. And the sex! There are many near misses that could have lead to unknowing incest, Secrets by the dozens, unknown half brothers, unrequited puppy love and more serious topics of spousal abuse, gay bashing and racism. Just like real life. The author obviously know a lot about Pentecostal Christianity and it shows. Even as a distinctly non-religious man I happily spend a morning in their church and an afternoon in their company. And did I say its hilarious!
July 11, 2010
I absolutely loved this book! Preston Allen wrote a purely classic novel with this story. Church going folk will especially enjoy this novel as well. Many of cultures and issues within the African American church appear within the story. This book also has a similar theme as James Baldwin's classic first novel, 'Go Tell It on The Mountain'. In which, he writes about a young Black man growing up in a "holy roller" church while dealing with the pressures of the secular world.
'Jesus Boy' is definitely worth the read and will not disappoint.
'Jesus Boy' is definitely worth the read and will not disappoint.
Read
July 19, 2018Wry. Very wry. I laughed, winced, and ruminated. The difficult and sometimes sensitive subject matter was balanced by fleshed-out characters (I thought all the important characters were more than caricatures, which is a fantastic thing to find in comedy, particularly satire, but necessary for a successful tragicomedy, which this is) and from Allen's deft deployment of shifting POVs.
On dealing with parents keeping secrets from you:
On dealing with parents keeping secrets from you:
"It's not fair to Moses. It's not fair to have your whole world suddenly shift like that--from slave to mother. Some slave who is not related to you at all ends up being someone whose existence explains all that you are. Someone who knows more about you than you know about yourself. But that is what happens when you are dealing with people who were here before you were. You are not their equals. There is no way to have any kind of real relationship with them. You will always feel that there are things they aren't telling you--important things, life-and-death things. This is why the Bible says honor thy mother and thy father--honor them because you certainly can't befriend them. How can you befriend them when they know more about you than you know about yourself? It's too easy for them to manipulate you. You have no choice but to honor them. Even if you hate them, you have to honor them."
May 23, 2010
In the Days of Thy Youth
“Jesus Boy” is basically is a tragedy in the vein of Shakespearean form. It is about Elwyn and the loss of innocence and the attempt to apply biblical principles to circumstances without understanding of conviction or the fallacies of human nature. Immaturity, spirituality and biology clash resulting in increased disappointments for which Elwyn has to rationalize while being caught in the throes of lust and disenfranchisements of his church family. While his natural talent increases, he mistakes it for approval of God as his musical talent becomes leverage for spiritual acceptance and self defeat.
“Jesus Boy” is full of unexpected twists and twistedness. Preston Allen is successful in making Elwyn affable, but Elwyn’s choices make his end destructive although the reader continues to hope for the best. The depth of depravity is tempered. The humor and originality of the voice of this author is unique and poignant. I would recommend this book as it is the seed for a harvest of discussions.
Reviewed by: Gail
“Jesus Boy” is basically is a tragedy in the vein of Shakespearean form. It is about Elwyn and the loss of innocence and the attempt to apply biblical principles to circumstances without understanding of conviction or the fallacies of human nature. Immaturity, spirituality and biology clash resulting in increased disappointments for which Elwyn has to rationalize while being caught in the throes of lust and disenfranchisements of his church family. While his natural talent increases, he mistakes it for approval of God as his musical talent becomes leverage for spiritual acceptance and self defeat.
“Jesus Boy” is full of unexpected twists and twistedness. Preston Allen is successful in making Elwyn affable, but Elwyn’s choices make his end destructive although the reader continues to hope for the best. The depth of depravity is tempered. The humor and originality of the voice of this author is unique and poignant. I would recommend this book as it is the seed for a harvest of discussions.
Reviewed by: Gail
May 25, 2010
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
Regular readers know that I believe the key to a successful novel to be the combination of an exciting plot and deep characterization; but if I'm forced to choose only one or the other in any particular book, I think it's clear by now that I generally prefer the former over the latter, in that stories featuring barely-defined characters doing interesting things tend to be inherently more entertaining in my head than ones where interesting people sit around doing nothing. So I'm always excited, then, when I come across the rare character-heavy novel that I end up liking quite a bit; take for example the recently released Jesus Boy by Florida professor Preston L. Allen, author of the previous gambling novel All Or Nothing which also garnered quite a bit of praise, both of which were put out by our pals at Akashic Books, who in the last few years has seemed almost incapable of making a wrong move. I thought today, then, I would take the opportunity to do an actual analytical examination of what makes this such a great character-driven novel when so many others fail so spectacularly at it, as a way of hopefully passing along a few tips to fellow writers out there who are struggling over the same issues; because believe me, Jesus Boy is an almost textbook example of how to put together an intriguing and page-flipping yet plot-light story, and it's no wonder that Akashic signed this despite it having little to do with the subversive culture and hipster characters that define most of the other titles in their catalog.
As you can imagine, step one with books like these is to create a fascinating milieu for your characters to inhabit, which Allen does: he in fact sets this book within the world of radical Protestant churches in rural south Florida with mostly black congregations, the kinds of groups with names like "The Holy Rollers" who consider even Southern Baptists to be timid wannabes, and who create elaborate conservative moral codes for their members which often contradict themselves in their specific rules. And indeed, that's what makes this milieu so fascinating, is that as human beings, the desires of these groups' members often come into direct conflict with the restrictive code of behavior they are trying to maintain; and this is in fact what Allen mostly examines in Jesus Boy, the various ways that the private lives of his expansive cast betray their public lives as the religiously pious, and the ways these schisms affect the long-term lives of these characters over the course of approximately half a century and several generations, from roughly the Jim Crow 1940s to the hiphop 1990s.
Now of course, this particular milieu is also ripe for easy, lazy stereotyping -- after all, it's these organizations that spawn most of our nation's televangelists -- which leads to my second tip concerning such novels, that they require not only fascinating environments but unique and compelling looks at these environments; and this Allen also does, centering the tale around the complex "Jesus Boy" of the book's title, a naturally gifted piano player who was hailed by his church at a young age as a zealous musical warrior for God, and who then struggles for the rest of his life over the balance between his spirituality and his heathen side, complicated even further by his decades-long secret relationship with a MILF-like older church member (during their first tryst, he's 16 and she's 42), as well as his manytimes humorous multicultural adventures at the secular state university he ends up attending. This then leads us to a closer examination of his lover as well, who turns out to have had a very similar experience in her past but that time playing the younger role, which as the novel progresses we learn is tied in complicated ways to the muddled lives of all the other characters, which then drops us down the rabbithole of how crazy and screwed-up all these relationships within the church are, filtered by such factors as pre-civil-rights segregation, the expectations of "manliness" within African-American society, the disconnect between what we want and what we can have, and of course the all-important public face of respectability that members of the church are expected to wear at all times.
This then nicely leads us to my third tip concerning character-heavy novels, that if you're to attempt a story light on action scenes, it's important to make those scenes count for as much as possible; and it's here that Allen really shines, in that like Michael Chabon, all of his well-placed plot-oriented moments serve as true catalysts for twisting the entire story in a new direction, delivering by the end what's still a deep character study but that is quickly-paced and always inspires you to excitedly wonder what's next, whether that's the occasional fistfight or discovery of infidelity, a flight from the law or the disgrace of a popular preacher. And that of course leads to my fourth tip concerning such books, the one probably best known already, that when you choose to write a story based mostly on character, it helps to give that story a strong sense of personal style as well; and here too Allen is just great, penning the entire manuscript in a way that's both poetic and easy to read, and with a sly humor that complements very well the unhurried Southern story he's telling.
Add all these things up, like I said, and you have that special rare character-oriented novel that reads like an airport thriller, not just lively and entertaining but that gets you thinking about all kinds of subjects for the first time, or at least thinking about them in new ways. As with many recent Akashic books, I suspect that Jesus Boy will be popping up again in one of my best-of lists at the end of the year, and it comes highly recommended today whether or not you're a natural fan of character-heavy stories or fundamentalist Christians.
Out of 10: 9.3
Regular readers know that I believe the key to a successful novel to be the combination of an exciting plot and deep characterization; but if I'm forced to choose only one or the other in any particular book, I think it's clear by now that I generally prefer the former over the latter, in that stories featuring barely-defined characters doing interesting things tend to be inherently more entertaining in my head than ones where interesting people sit around doing nothing. So I'm always excited, then, when I come across the rare character-heavy novel that I end up liking quite a bit; take for example the recently released Jesus Boy by Florida professor Preston L. Allen, author of the previous gambling novel All Or Nothing which also garnered quite a bit of praise, both of which were put out by our pals at Akashic Books, who in the last few years has seemed almost incapable of making a wrong move. I thought today, then, I would take the opportunity to do an actual analytical examination of what makes this such a great character-driven novel when so many others fail so spectacularly at it, as a way of hopefully passing along a few tips to fellow writers out there who are struggling over the same issues; because believe me, Jesus Boy is an almost textbook example of how to put together an intriguing and page-flipping yet plot-light story, and it's no wonder that Akashic signed this despite it having little to do with the subversive culture and hipster characters that define most of the other titles in their catalog.
As you can imagine, step one with books like these is to create a fascinating milieu for your characters to inhabit, which Allen does: he in fact sets this book within the world of radical Protestant churches in rural south Florida with mostly black congregations, the kinds of groups with names like "The Holy Rollers" who consider even Southern Baptists to be timid wannabes, and who create elaborate conservative moral codes for their members which often contradict themselves in their specific rules. And indeed, that's what makes this milieu so fascinating, is that as human beings, the desires of these groups' members often come into direct conflict with the restrictive code of behavior they are trying to maintain; and this is in fact what Allen mostly examines in Jesus Boy, the various ways that the private lives of his expansive cast betray their public lives as the religiously pious, and the ways these schisms affect the long-term lives of these characters over the course of approximately half a century and several generations, from roughly the Jim Crow 1940s to the hiphop 1990s.
Now of course, this particular milieu is also ripe for easy, lazy stereotyping -- after all, it's these organizations that spawn most of our nation's televangelists -- which leads to my second tip concerning such novels, that they require not only fascinating environments but unique and compelling looks at these environments; and this Allen also does, centering the tale around the complex "Jesus Boy" of the book's title, a naturally gifted piano player who was hailed by his church at a young age as a zealous musical warrior for God, and who then struggles for the rest of his life over the balance between his spirituality and his heathen side, complicated even further by his decades-long secret relationship with a MILF-like older church member (during their first tryst, he's 16 and she's 42), as well as his manytimes humorous multicultural adventures at the secular state university he ends up attending. This then leads us to a closer examination of his lover as well, who turns out to have had a very similar experience in her past but that time playing the younger role, which as the novel progresses we learn is tied in complicated ways to the muddled lives of all the other characters, which then drops us down the rabbithole of how crazy and screwed-up all these relationships within the church are, filtered by such factors as pre-civil-rights segregation, the expectations of "manliness" within African-American society, the disconnect between what we want and what we can have, and of course the all-important public face of respectability that members of the church are expected to wear at all times.
This then nicely leads us to my third tip concerning character-heavy novels, that if you're to attempt a story light on action scenes, it's important to make those scenes count for as much as possible; and it's here that Allen really shines, in that like Michael Chabon, all of his well-placed plot-oriented moments serve as true catalysts for twisting the entire story in a new direction, delivering by the end what's still a deep character study but that is quickly-paced and always inspires you to excitedly wonder what's next, whether that's the occasional fistfight or discovery of infidelity, a flight from the law or the disgrace of a popular preacher. And that of course leads to my fourth tip concerning such books, the one probably best known already, that when you choose to write a story based mostly on character, it helps to give that story a strong sense of personal style as well; and here too Allen is just great, penning the entire manuscript in a way that's both poetic and easy to read, and with a sly humor that complements very well the unhurried Southern story he's telling.
Add all these things up, like I said, and you have that special rare character-oriented novel that reads like an airport thriller, not just lively and entertaining but that gets you thinking about all kinds of subjects for the first time, or at least thinking about them in new ways. As with many recent Akashic books, I suspect that Jesus Boy will be popping up again in one of my best-of lists at the end of the year, and it comes highly recommended today whether or not you're a natural fan of character-heavy stories or fundamentalist Christians.
Out of 10: 9.3
November 18, 2011
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/...
This book wasn't horrible, but I'm giving it only 1 star because I gave up on it when I was a little more than halfway through. I just didn't care enough about the characters or what would happen to them, and I figured...life is too short to read a book you're just not that into. I've done it before and regretted it, so I put the book down.
Jesus Boy is about Elwyn Parker, an African-American teenager in Florida, who is a member of the Church of Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters. Elwyn is a devout Christian who, after the object of his affection marries someone else, takes up with Sister Morrisohn, a fellow churchgoer who is 26 years his senior. I have to wonder about the author's upbringing, because he seems to be writing about charismatic Christian culture as if he truly knows. But what's also clear is that he has a dark, deeply cynical view of such right-wing religious types.
One moment they are spouting about sin and the next moment they are going at it like rabbits...not only the 16-year-old and the 42-year-old, but just about everyone is having sex--whether it's incest or extramarital affairs. It just got old after awhile. The author writes a lot of erotica, and I think he was going for the shock value. I'm certainly no bible thumper myself, but Allen really goes overboard on the hypocrisy and shallowness of these characters.
This book wasn't horrible, but I'm giving it only 1 star because I gave up on it when I was a little more than halfway through. I just didn't care enough about the characters or what would happen to them, and I figured...life is too short to read a book you're just not that into. I've done it before and regretted it, so I put the book down.
Jesus Boy is about Elwyn Parker, an African-American teenager in Florida, who is a member of the Church of Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters. Elwyn is a devout Christian who, after the object of his affection marries someone else, takes up with Sister Morrisohn, a fellow churchgoer who is 26 years his senior. I have to wonder about the author's upbringing, because he seems to be writing about charismatic Christian culture as if he truly knows. But what's also clear is that he has a dark, deeply cynical view of such right-wing religious types.
One moment they are spouting about sin and the next moment they are going at it like rabbits...not only the 16-year-old and the 42-year-old, but just about everyone is having sex--whether it's incest or extramarital affairs. It just got old after awhile. The author writes a lot of erotica, and I think he was going for the shock value. I'm certainly no bible thumper myself, but Allen really goes overboard on the hypocrisy and shallowness of these characters.
December 15, 2010
A hilarious, satirical story that delves in to the skeletons that clutter the closets of the leaders and most revered saints in the Black church. Highly exaggerated, but still truthful to an extent, I was pleasantly entertained by how easily Allen was able to illustrate how hypocritical church members can be, without being a judgemental or condescending story teller. I can see many people in the church being offended by this story, but those who are more open minded may get a kick out of its primary theme: Nobody is perfect, no matter how much closer to God you think you are. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
More detailed review coming soon to http://weturnthepage.wordpress.com
More detailed review coming soon to http://weturnthepage.wordpress.com
April 24, 2013
A very wry novel about religion and sex and the temptation of both. It is well written with good humour through-out. It’s also about secrets and revelations (not the religious kind).
The strength of this novel is that it is written from both the inside and outside perspective. The main characters are inside the church, but there outside it as well. This focus shift is intriguing.
I did find the relationship between Elwin and Elaine somewhat repetitive as the story progressed. One could say there is a lack of closure at the end; but Elwin as a used car salesman – that’s the wry humour and the inside-outside coming into play. Definitely kept me reading and smiling.
The strength of this novel is that it is written from both the inside and outside perspective. The main characters are inside the church, but there outside it as well. This focus shift is intriguing.
I did find the relationship between Elwin and Elaine somewhat repetitive as the story progressed. One could say there is a lack of closure at the end; but Elwin as a used car salesman – that’s the wry humour and the inside-outside coming into play. Definitely kept me reading and smiling.
September 22, 2010
I found this book in the "New" section of the library and judged it by its shiny, creative cover made to look like a bible. It said it was about a modern day Romeo and Juliet in a christian community and got rave reviews.
I felt like I never really got to know or like any of the characters. It was just a bunch of people sleeping with eachother and then praying for their sins. I gave it 2 stars because it was well written, but the plot was dumb.
I felt like I never really got to know or like any of the characters. It was just a bunch of people sleeping with eachother and then praying for their sins. I gave it 2 stars because it was well written, but the plot was dumb.
November 10, 2020
Things are not always what they seem and nobody is perfect. That is the underlying theme and tone but the magnificent crafting of the story and characters makes this a very original and captivating read that will give you the unexpected as soon as you thought you knew what was coming next.
March 4, 2017
An interesting R&J type novel.
August 25, 2020
This book had promise, but just found it to drag on, and lost interest in it and the characters.
June 16, 2022
What a MESS!
I ate it up!
I ate it up!
December 12, 2010
Ah, what to make of this complex tale of evangelical religious life in Miami, Florida, late twentieth century? First and foremost, Jesus Boy is a beautifully written novel that leads the reader ever deeper into the dark side of the Church of Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters. Primarily following the life of a young man who grew up in this fundamentalist church from early adolescence to post-college, the story is one of faith and family, love and love lost, heart and spirit and the burden of intractable belief.
Preston Allen's writing presented a formidable challenge: could I set aside the judgments that were sure to arise over the course of a story that was reading almost as a seamy exposé on evangelical religion? I'm happy to report that for the most part, yes, I was able to allow this tale to unfold without clouding it with my own conscious and subconscious prejudices and pesky judgmental nature. Yet before congratulating myself on being so open minded and accepting, I must admit that there was a part of me that felt some hint of satisfaction at the often hypocritical posturing and ludicrous rationalizing of the Faithful; a kind of, "Ah ha, I knew it."
As I have said in other reviews, a good writer is able to convey that people are simply people regardless of where they're from, and in this case, what they believe. Preston Allen's style of writing combined with how he presented his primary characters is what made it all possible. Written in narrative fashion, Elwyn Parker chronicles his zealous faith as a member of the Church and the relentless challenges to hold on to that faith. Our young protagonist, at face value an outstanding example of Christian virtue, finds himself struggling with his awakening sexuality and only a rigid interpretation of Biblical scripture to guide him. As the story unfolds we become witness to a religious life fraught with moral turpitude.
At times funny, the story of Elwyn's life is mostly tragic, a study in unmet expectations. He believes fervently in his religion yet does not possess the strength to act on those beliefs. He is a respected member of his church, considered by many to be the finest example of a young Christian, yet he is mostly just a teenager wanting to be loved even at the cost of his convictions. On one level the story seems to be about nothing more than who is sleeping with whom and the history behind these relationships; and because these relationships involve the Faithful it makes them seem all the more sordid and tawdry.
Yet, if one is able to suspend judgment, forgo the, "I knew it," the essence of the story becomes about the struggles we all face to live by what we believe or at least want to believe. It ceases to be about the power of adolescent hormones and begins to touch the boundaries of sexual abuse and addiction. It is a hero's journey derailed, a story of deception, control and manipulation. Above all, Jesus Boy is a superbly crafted novel that pierces the veil of fundamentalist religious life in the American south.
Preston Allen's writing presented a formidable challenge: could I set aside the judgments that were sure to arise over the course of a story that was reading almost as a seamy exposé on evangelical religion? I'm happy to report that for the most part, yes, I was able to allow this tale to unfold without clouding it with my own conscious and subconscious prejudices and pesky judgmental nature. Yet before congratulating myself on being so open minded and accepting, I must admit that there was a part of me that felt some hint of satisfaction at the often hypocritical posturing and ludicrous rationalizing of the Faithful; a kind of, "Ah ha, I knew it."
As I have said in other reviews, a good writer is able to convey that people are simply people regardless of where they're from, and in this case, what they believe. Preston Allen's style of writing combined with how he presented his primary characters is what made it all possible. Written in narrative fashion, Elwyn Parker chronicles his zealous faith as a member of the Church and the relentless challenges to hold on to that faith. Our young protagonist, at face value an outstanding example of Christian virtue, finds himself struggling with his awakening sexuality and only a rigid interpretation of Biblical scripture to guide him. As the story unfolds we become witness to a religious life fraught with moral turpitude.
At times funny, the story of Elwyn's life is mostly tragic, a study in unmet expectations. He believes fervently in his religion yet does not possess the strength to act on those beliefs. He is a respected member of his church, considered by many to be the finest example of a young Christian, yet he is mostly just a teenager wanting to be loved even at the cost of his convictions. On one level the story seems to be about nothing more than who is sleeping with whom and the history behind these relationships; and because these relationships involve the Faithful it makes them seem all the more sordid and tawdry.
Yet, if one is able to suspend judgment, forgo the, "I knew it," the essence of the story becomes about the struggles we all face to live by what we believe or at least want to believe. It ceases to be about the power of adolescent hormones and begins to touch the boundaries of sexual abuse and addiction. It is a hero's journey derailed, a story of deception, control and manipulation. Above all, Jesus Boy is a superbly crafted novel that pierces the veil of fundamentalist religious life in the American south.
December 16, 2010
Preston Allen's novel Jesus Boy seems like quite a departure from All or Nothing. One book is about a man's struggle with gambling, while the other is about a fundamentalist church in South Florida. What both share in common though is human weakness. One could say that Allen is a sociologist of human frailty. The common thread that ties much of his work together is how complicated our lives are, despite the obvious molds we fit into at a cursory glance.
In Jesus Boy, Elwyn is an ignorant 16 year old whose ability as a pianist and gifted apologist differentiates him from other young people in his community. Meanwhile, his sexuality begins to unfold as the leader of his church community dies, and the grieving widow catches Elwyn's eye.
Sister Morrisohn (the grieving widow) comes across as the older (42 yr old) church nugget, whom the community either envies or despises, given her marriage to the leading elder of church the community, who also happens to be her recently departed husband. What we come to find in Mrs. Morrisohn is a past riddled with pain, abuse and a history of emotional content being funneled through sexual expression.
What the two find in each other is a shared brokenness. As each character tries not to yield to temptation, their giving in points to the bigger issues that plague their lives.
The author's ability to weave sexual discourse into the narrative of human need is reminiscent of Toni Morrison's early work. Additionally, the content of this book will also be alienating to some readers, as we also find in Morrison's work as well. Jesus Boy is very Christian...very fundamentalist Christian at that...and some portions of the book can be a challenge to those who have an aversion to this sort of religiosity. Simultaneously, the respect that Allen shows toward these traditions could be read as his satirical take on them. My gut is that Preston Allen's intent is not pure satire. He seeks to unpack the problems and complications we find in any community that works so hard for righteous living. We learn a lot in this process. People are not as they seem. Communities and their leaders are not as perfect as we believe them to be. In the end, our need to believe (something), points more to our needs, than it does to the reality of our beliefs.
Overall, Jesus Boy is not the page turner that Allen's prior book was, but it does have the common characteristic of being movie material. If you've liked his work before, this is well worth the read. Hats off to Preston Allen.
In Jesus Boy, Elwyn is an ignorant 16 year old whose ability as a pianist and gifted apologist differentiates him from other young people in his community. Meanwhile, his sexuality begins to unfold as the leader of his church community dies, and the grieving widow catches Elwyn's eye.
Sister Morrisohn (the grieving widow) comes across as the older (42 yr old) church nugget, whom the community either envies or despises, given her marriage to the leading elder of church the community, who also happens to be her recently departed husband. What we come to find in Mrs. Morrisohn is a past riddled with pain, abuse and a history of emotional content being funneled through sexual expression.
What the two find in each other is a shared brokenness. As each character tries not to yield to temptation, their giving in points to the bigger issues that plague their lives.
The author's ability to weave sexual discourse into the narrative of human need is reminiscent of Toni Morrison's early work. Additionally, the content of this book will also be alienating to some readers, as we also find in Morrison's work as well. Jesus Boy is very Christian...very fundamentalist Christian at that...and some portions of the book can be a challenge to those who have an aversion to this sort of religiosity. Simultaneously, the respect that Allen shows toward these traditions could be read as his satirical take on them. My gut is that Preston Allen's intent is not pure satire. He seeks to unpack the problems and complications we find in any community that works so hard for righteous living. We learn a lot in this process. People are not as they seem. Communities and their leaders are not as perfect as we believe them to be. In the end, our need to believe (something), points more to our needs, than it does to the reality of our beliefs.
Overall, Jesus Boy is not the page turner that Allen's prior book was, but it does have the common characteristic of being movie material. If you've liked his work before, this is well worth the read. Hats off to Preston Allen.
January 3, 2011
Ok...let me start by saying I only picked this one up because of the title...I had heard nothing about it and had no idea what I was getting into...that said it was not a terrible read...I finished it, which is something I have learned not to do with books I truly do not care for...I thought perhaps this book was about...I don't know...Jesus as a boy?...a child who was like Jesus?...even perhaps a child who was misunderstood...no...it was about sex...plain and simple...a reviewer said "Heartfelt and occasionally hilarious"...heartfelt I can see...hilarious?...I don't recall even a giggle...there were several characters and I found myself going back and forth to get back on track...16 year old boy has a sexual relatonship with a forty something woman for years...the Jesus thing is because he is a preacher boy...the story is about how generations of these super religious, God fearing people are all hypocrits...the preacher boys faith is continually tested...he wants to be strong for God but finally caves when he realizes everyone he had ever trusted was a backslider (the only person I have ever heard use this phrase was Jenson Franklin)...he wants to hate them all but realizes he is no better than any of them...I gave it three stars because it was a decent read just not my kind of read...if not for the overflow of characters I may have been able to read it in just a few days...it very much sounded like reality...just not one I would ever want to be a part of...it was well written and deserves attention
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2013
Un libro tagliente, assordante, aggressivo, cattivissimo (alzi la mano chi si stupisce che l’abbia letto io).
Jesus Boy è una narrazione perfetta e completa della realtà religione tipo che costella i tempi moderni, un cronaca inventata ma vera di una “setta”, di un’intera comunità di credenti che si affidano ciecamente al testo sacro della Bibbia e a ciò che i membri della comunità stessa si aspettano dai loro vicini, amici, conoscenti.
Elwyn è lo sfaccettato protagonista di questa storia, un prisma che ci mostra tutte le sfumature e le reazioni del suo credo nei confronti delle situazioni, sia quelle positive che quelle negative, è una cartina di tornasole che grazie alle sue riflessioni automatiche e limpide ci dimostra quanto l’ipocrisia sia il termine imperante di una società basata sul giudizio sugli altri, sulle illusioni, sui tradimenti e sui pretesti assurdi che servono però a cementificare il potere di chi tira le fila del gioco.
Sto facendo un discorso blasfemo. Beh, mi capita abbastanza spesso.
Questo romanzo mi è piaciuto per l’innegabile bravura dell’autore, che ha saputo creare il personaggio di Elwyn che mano a mano che le pagine si sfogliano diventa sempre più umano, credibile e comprensibile. Viene temprato dalla vita, dalle pulsioni mortali e sentimentali che la sua religione gli vieta, ma cui non riesce a sottrarsi per il semplice fatto che è un essere umano.
Per leggere l'intera recensione: QUI
Jesus Boy è una narrazione perfetta e completa della realtà religione tipo che costella i tempi moderni, un cronaca inventata ma vera di una “setta”, di un’intera comunità di credenti che si affidano ciecamente al testo sacro della Bibbia e a ciò che i membri della comunità stessa si aspettano dai loro vicini, amici, conoscenti.
Elwyn è lo sfaccettato protagonista di questa storia, un prisma che ci mostra tutte le sfumature e le reazioni del suo credo nei confronti delle situazioni, sia quelle positive che quelle negative, è una cartina di tornasole che grazie alle sue riflessioni automatiche e limpide ci dimostra quanto l’ipocrisia sia il termine imperante di una società basata sul giudizio sugli altri, sulle illusioni, sui tradimenti e sui pretesti assurdi che servono però a cementificare il potere di chi tira le fila del gioco.
Sto facendo un discorso blasfemo. Beh, mi capita abbastanza spesso.
Questo romanzo mi è piaciuto per l’innegabile bravura dell’autore, che ha saputo creare il personaggio di Elwyn che mano a mano che le pagine si sfogliano diventa sempre più umano, credibile e comprensibile. Viene temprato dalla vita, dalle pulsioni mortali e sentimentali che la sua religione gli vieta, ma cui non riesce a sottrarsi per il semplice fatto che è un essere umano.
Per leggere l'intera recensione: QUI
September 12, 2012
I loved "All or Nothing" and gave it a 5-star review a few years back, so when I heard that Allen had published a new (2010) book, I was determined to read it, regardless of reviews or recommendations. That was a big mistake. Though there were a few funny and interesting parts, I couldn't finish it. Toward the end, I started to get confused about who the characters were, and then I realized I no longer cared so I stopped reading without finding out what happened. It's too bad because the book started out to be fairly interesting. Maybe the author should have stopped half-way through too.
December 4, 2010
This was a strange book about fundamentalist, biblical literalism and sex. I think it was a satire... About espousing perfectionism (and selective reading of the bible to accompany that perfectionism) and the utter inability of being perfect; of espousing denial for godly reason, but practicing hedonism; of hypocrisy. It is a quick read but I wouldn't say that you savor every sentence. It is a straight ahead story and you have to shake your head or laugh at the crazy entanglement of the characters.
Want to read
July 14, 2010When I read Thumper's review, I knew I had to read this book.
Jesus Boy is a literary marvel! When I was reading the novel, I was excited and literally sitting on the edge of my seat. When compared to the great novels of the past century: Invisible Man, Catcher in the Rye, Lolita, Native Son; Jesus Boy sits easily in their company of greatness.
More later.
Jesus Boy is a literary marvel! When I was reading the novel, I was excited and literally sitting on the edge of my seat. When compared to the great novels of the past century: Invisible Man, Catcher in the Rye, Lolita, Native Son; Jesus Boy sits easily in their company of greatness.
More later.
October 11, 2010
To say I hated this book would be an understatement. It was a dreary, dismal, bleak read that left me wondering why on earth I continued to read it long after I lost interest. The author can certainly tell a story and has a real ability to consistently surprise. But in the end I was left lamenting the hours I spent reading it that I'll never get back.
September 3, 2014
This was a satire (I think?) of a culture I admit I'm wholly unfamiliar with - maybe some more knowledge about it would have helped me understand better. Either way, this was the best dollar purchase I've made in a long time - poignant and funny and propulsive. It dragged in the middle a bit but it is a book I won't forget soon.
December 28, 2011
In this entertaining novel, a young, African American male comes of age immersed in the culture & theology of Miami's Church of Our Blessed Redeemer Who Walked Upon the Waters. In its preoccupation with religion & sex (though not remotely in other ways), it's reminiscent of John Updike's novels.
September 23, 2010
Wacky, interesting book! He's not a really polished writer yet; there are strange uneven moments throughout -- but he has a great voice, and the world he is describing is so vivid. Definitely up for reading more of this guy!
February 21, 2011
Such a great read. I really enjoyed that although the stories were exaggerated, it could be easily related to. Convicting and hilariously crazy, this is a great recommendation for those who are "holier than thou." :-)
May 4, 2011
I'd give this book 4 stars if the end wasn't as dry! It was definitely a funny story for those familiar with the black church. I even imagined certain things happening before I read them which at times made the story even funnier. I'd recommend it!
Read
November 7, 2021I liked the experimental way Allen uses voice to move the novel. It's really strong, funny writing and reading his work helped me with my own.
January 3, 2011
I found this book interesting to read. it was a different sort of book than I'm used to reading, but enjoyable.
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