Review: Hallelujah by Kim Fielding and F.E. Feeley, Jr.

 

 Can you hear it? 

Whispering in the dark. 

Secrets only the dark knows. 

Joseph Moore, choir director for the First Baptist Church of Lenora, Nebraska, has secrets of his own. Terrible, lonely secrets. One that involves natural human desire. One that calls forth powers he cannot begin to understand. Both with the potential to destroy him and those he loves. 

Now the world is changing. The darkness, the shadows, the ghosts, are closing in—and Joseph and his lover, Kevin, are being stalked by a merciless demon, hell-bent on possession. 

Can you hear it now? 

There in the dark. 

It's whispering your name.

Every book I’ve read by Kim Fielding and F.E. Feeley, Jr. separately have been memorable, these two authors together brought my reading journey to another level. Hallelujah reminded me why I love to read, the all encompassing experience was overwhelming in the best possible way. I told the family they were on their own because I had book rapture happening and I would be unavailable for 374 pages, plus reflection time. 

Hallelujah is quite a ride. There is a lot going on, a lot of themes, a lot of action, a lot of realizations, a lot. The authors balanced and tied everything together so perfectly the story never felt too busy or at loose ends. Every sentence and action had a purpose for Joseph and his journey. 

There are many religious undertones (and overtones, if I’m honest) to Hallelujah. Religion is an integral component to the story and while the specific faith is personal to Joseph, the overarching theme is much more broad, encompassing the basics of good vs. evil and redemption and forgiveness. 

Growing up in an agnostic household, I was able to understand everything in theory, but I’m sure I was missing some of the visceral reactions someone who grew up in a religious upbringing might feel. I googled and learned a lot, something I always appreciate from a book, and I can’t decide which background would be more beneficial when reading Hallelujah. I bought a copy for a friend (he’s no longer actively practicing any formal religion, but he did grow up in a faithfully religious household) and we’re going to mini bookclub this one. 

There is so much more though too. If organized religion is not your jam, don’t let that keep you from Hallelujah. It’s part of who Joseph is in his core, and that part of him is clear and accessible to the reader. It explains a lot about the decisions he makes and the loyalties he keeps. 

I could go on and on and on about specifics and characters, but you get the gist from the blurb and part of the beauty of this book is meeting each of the characters for the first time. Reading the evolution of the relationships and interactions is the meat of this book. Sure, the horror is most definitely real, and most definitely horrifying, but we know evil because we know good and the characters here are so humanly good. Not perfect, perfect is boring and a falsehood. But inherent goodness is real and a real part of this book. 

Joseph. He’s so fully fleshed out, that I’ll remember him for a long time to come and he’ll make me reread this book. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him when the story was done, even though the story was done with all the bits wrapped up in a bittersweet package. After everything the group had been through I wasn’t sure how Hallelujah would wrap, or if it even could, but damn, the authors did an amazing job of ending the story and being true to each of the characters.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**