Convergence

A modern story of Job

Christian - Fiction
480 Pages
Reviewed on 10/11/2015
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Carol Coetzee for Readers' Favorite

In Convergence, a Christian fiction novel, Patrick Null takes us on a fascinating journey into the life of a young pastor. Evan lives with his wife Madison, and two children, twelve-year-old Penny, and nine-year-old Noah. Three years ago they lost their home to a fire, and Jenny, their teenage babysitter, was killed during the blaze. Noah has been withdrawn and quiet since the ordeal, and Evan is facing his own demons. Evan feels called to minister to teenagers, and decides to visit a juvenile detention center to minister to the youngsters there. Here he meets Maria and Jamal, two of the detainees, who are being released. He senses their curiosity, and follows up with them after their release. This leads to an insightful journey of hope, betrayal and redemption. A must-read.

When we need a bit of human comfort, we often turn to our pastors, knowing they will have guidance and advice to offer us. In Convergence, Patrick Null shows us the other side of a pastor's life. We see that life is not all rosy, even for a pastor. They too have doubts, misgivings, and sometimes trust the wrong people to have their back. A heart wrenching tale of a young pastor and his family dealing with the aftermath of a horrendous tragedy, and trying to get through it in their own way. Along this path lies treachery, betrayal and salvation. A deeply provoking look into the depths of human love, and the strength one can draw from God to overcome all obstacles in your path. A wonderful, uplifting read.

Lex Allen

After a tragic fire, the pastor Evan Foster is still suffering from the death of Jenny, the family babysitter and his son’s Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome-like withdrawal from everyone and everything. He feels responsible and guilty and attempts to ease some of this by rescuing two troubled teenagers. The story aspires to compare, in a modern setting, the Biblical story of Job who at one time lost everything he owned and loved before finding redemption with his God.

Convergence by Patrick Null is a well-written story full of conflict on several fronts. The story is compelling and well-plotted. Raised in a Baptist family, I could relate to the lead pastor Warren and most of the Deacons in this story. Equally relatable were the characters Penny, Jamal and Maria. Penny comes into the story rather late but she was, however, my favorite character. Overall, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to all Christian readers and fans of this genre.

Charity Tober

Convergence: A Modern Story of Job by Patrick Null is a thought-provoking Christian fiction read. The book follows a young youth pastor named Evan Foster and his family. Three years prior, Evan and his family endured a tragic incident involving a house fire and a death and still (years later) are coming to terms with what happened. The tragedy affected each and every member of the family in some way and the struggle to return to a normal life is a daily struggle. Evan answers a new calling by attempting to pastor troubled teens, but faces obstacles and challenges at every turn. Opposition comes from everywhere – home, church and the teens – but Evan will not give up. Even when it seems that everything is taken from him, Evan still trusts God to deliver him and help him prevail over his circumstances.

I thought Convergence was a very introspective read. Through Evan, readers can find encouragement and inspiration to keep following their faith, even when times get tough. Evan was by no means perfect, he was flawed and didn’t always make the right choices, but this made him more realistic in my opinion. I believe that the author was making the point that even though we are not perfect, God always has a purpose and a plan for what we face in life. Trials and tribulations come at us every day; how we respond to them makes all the difference in the outcome. I would recommend Convergence: A Modern Story of Job by Patrick Null to fans of Christian fiction, inspiration, motivational and drama genres.