Necessary Heartbreak: A Novel of Faith and Forgiveness
By Michael J. Sullivan
Simon and Schuster; $15.00
What if you could go back to the time of Jesus, to the very final week when he entered Jerusalem to fulfill his destiny?
What if you were there that night in the garden when the soldiers came to take him away – would you stop them?
What if you came upon Judas before he hung himself, and you could talk him into returning the 30 pieces of silver, and save the life of Jesus?
What if you were the one chosen to help Jesus carry the crossbars to Golgotha – would you bear the burden for this beaten man?
All these questions and much more are examined in Michael J. Sullivan’s novel, “Necessary Heartbreak,” a fascinating, and thought-provoking fictional account of one man’s struggle with family, faith and forgiveness.
Synopsis:
An extraordinary journey back in time shows a struggling single dad that the faith he’s lost is still alive—and stronger than ever. . . .Michael Stewart has weathered his share of hardships: a troubled childhood, the loss of his mother, even the degradation of living on the city streets.
Now he’s raising his teenaged daughter, Elizabeth, on his own and doing the best he can at work and at home. But he’s turned his back on his faith—that is, until the morning Michael and Elizabeth volunteer for a food pantry at their local church. While storing boxes in the basement, they step through a mysterious door . . . and find themselves in first-century Jerusalem during the tumultuous last week of Jesus Christ’s life.
It is a dangerous and violent place, where doing what your heart tells you is right can get you imprisoned—or worse—and they are thankful to take refuge with a kind widow. But when they come face-to-face with Judas Iscariot and the condemned Christ himself, Michael realizes that before they can escape Jerusalem, he must experience history’s most necessary and shattering heartbreak—and that pain and loss must happen if Michael is to be set free: to live, love, and reclaim the blessings he has in the present day.
Biography:
Michael J. Sullivan is an author and sports writer living in New York who graduated from St. John's University, and is a member of the McDonald's All-American Selection Boys Basketball Committee and the Parade All-American Selection Committee. Michael hosted sports radio shows on WGBB on Long Island, NY, and WEVD 1050AM in New York City, as well as worked with ESPN and Sporting News.
In addition to writing the When Time Forgets series, Michael covers high school and college sports for Fox-owned Scout.com, which involves daily activity on ten to twelve message boards as well as writing approximately 100 articles each month.
Michael has published a number of books through established trade houses, including the trivia book So You Think You're a New Yorker, which was an iconic work lauded by columnist Cindy Adams. In addition, he published seven sports-themed books for children through Enslow, and a volume of a children's book series through HarperCollins.
Check out Sullivan’s website at www.whentimeforgets.com for more information on the book, the upcoming sequel and Sullivan’s blog.
My Thoughts:
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel before opening the first pages. I surely didn’t expect to find a story that made me stop and questions my own faith and wonder what would I do if faced with the same circumstances! This is a powerful, fast-paced story that captures your attention and doesn’t let go until the very last paragraph. The characters are well-rounded, and Sullivan gives the reader glimpses into their back story through memories and dreams, while keeping the action well centered on the story at hand.
“Necessary Heartbreak” is the first book in what is planned to be a trilogy, and I look forward to more of Michael, Elizabeth, and Leah’s story to come. I wholeheartedly recommend “Necessary Heartbreak” to anyone who likes well-written faith-based fiction.
I received a review copy of "Necessary Heartbreak" from the publisher, and was not compensated for this review.
