ON THE ROAD WITH THE ARCHANGEL (1997)
Book Description
The unfortunate lives of the Raguel family and the Tobit family are changed forever by the intervention of the Archangel Raphael.
Tobit rues the day that sparrow droppings rendered him blind and unable to continue in his mission: secretly rescuing and burying the bodies of Israelites murdered at the order of Sargon II, King of Assyria. Raguel, meanwhile, struggles under the shame brought upon the family by his daughter Sarah, who has been married seven times, and mysteriously lost each husband on the wedding night. When Tobit and Sarah, unbeknown to one another, kneel to pray that God would take their lives, it is Raphael who hears their prayers, and is charged with taking them into the presence of the Almighty.
As he prepares to die, Tobit engages his slow-witted son, Tobias, to undertake a quest. The boy is charged with recovering two sacks of family silver from the city of Media, where they have been left in the care of an old friend. On the road he meets an enigmatic stranger, who introduces himself as Azarias, and offers to accompany him on his journey. Tobit begins to wonder who his new companion really is when, faced with dangers on the road, Azarias appears to wield miraculous powers in saving them both from harm. His mounting suspicions are forgotten, however, as, arriving in the city of Ecbatana, he is introduced to a beautiful young woman with a miserable secret. Tobias’s new-found infatuation with Sarah must overcome a series of challenges, including a demonic adversary, a terrifying wedding night, and the vital rescue of the family treasure in far-off Media.
Reviews
“Hailed as ‘one of our most original storytellers’ (USA Today), Pulitzer Prize finalist author Frederick Buechner has written an extraordinary new novel that shines with the mystery and wonder of the divine.”
— HarperCollins
“This clergyman can tell a story that has a theological dimension without sounding sanctimonious or trite, partly because his writing style is based on contemporary speech and partly because his turn of mind is ironic, unsentimental. He's been able to update Mark Twain's sense of comedy, so that his books, no matter how exotic the setting or characters, always sound idiomatically American.”
— Alfred Corn, The New York Times Book Review
