Book of Days by Jim Rubart

"… in Your book all my days were recorded, even those which were purposed before they had come into being." —Psalm 139:16



Young Cameron Vaux’s mind is slipping. Memories of his wife, killed two years earlier in a car accident, are vanishing just as his dad predicted they would. Memories he knows he has to remember.


His father tells Cameron that to save his mind he must find "the book with all days in it" —the past and future record of every soul on earth.


When an obscure clue leads Cameron to a small central Oregon town, he meets enigmatic Taylor Stone, a possible guide to finding the book who seems to carry secrets far deeper than anyone imagines. Local hotshot TV personality Ann Bannister thinks the legend of the book is a farce, but she has her reasons to join Cameron’s search anyway. Finally, there is fanatical New Age guru Jason Judah, who will stop at nothing to find the book of days before Cameron does.

My review:
I reviewed Jim Rubart's first book, Rooms, a while back (here), and loved it. It is one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read a lot. I won't go into it, as I am reviewing his newest, Book of Days.

Book of Days is totally different, and I wouldn't say it is as good as Rooms, but I wouldn't say it isn't either. Sounds contradictory, I know. The theme and plot of Rooms was just so hard-hitting, convicting, that it stands all by itself. And there I go talking about it......

Book of Days is about Cameron, a young man who loses his father to Alzheimer's at the early age of forty-nine. Before his father dies, he tells Cameron that it will happen to him also, and he must find "the book of days" to stop it. Six years later, Cameron's wife dies. As she breathes her last breaths, she urges him to "find the book." He assumes she is talking about the same book his father talked about.

Now, two years after his wife's death, and eight years after his father's death, it is happening. He is slowly losing his memories, his mind. So he sets out to find a book that may not exist: The Book Of Days. A book that has the memories, the past, the future of everyone who has ever lived and will ever live.

This is an awesome book. Yes, different from Rooms, but awesome in its own way. It covers Alzheimer's, and the idea of our memories and where they go when we lose them. Through Cameron's eyes, we see what it is like to start losing those memories, to know that you likely have the early onset of Alzheimer's.

Book of Days is also a journey of faith. Cameron is an agnostic. His father and wife were Christians, but he has never had the faith to believe that God exists, which is ironic since he is searching for a book that God wrote.

There are unique and colorful characters in the book. Good and bad. Those who want the book for devious purposes, and those who want it for good. I have said it in other book reviews, but one sign of a really great novel is when the reader is pulled into the story and you can see in your mind the places in the book and you want to step into the story yourself. That was the case with this book.

I started reading this book last night around 9:30. I chatted on the phone with my best friend around 11, and was only 139 pages into it at that point, with around 260 to go. I had no intentions of finishing the book last night, but that is exactly what I did. At 1:15, I came to the end of the story. What a great read. It was entertaining and enjoyable, yet gave me something to think about.

Rubart has only written two books so far, but they are both masterpieces. Different from your average fiction book, and yet gripping and moving. I very much recommend his books. Very much.

Check out the videos I have put at the very end of the review. There is one that is a book trailer for Book of Days, another where the author talks about the book, and two more about his upcoming book, The Chair. As with the first two videos, one is a book trailer for The Chair, and one is the author talking about it.

About the author:

James L. Rubart is a professional marketer, speaker, and writer. He serves on the board of the Northwest Christian Writers Association and lives with his wife and sons in Seattle, Washington.


Visit his website at jimrubart.com.
 
Book of Days is available from Broadman and Holman Publishers.
 
Thanks to Broadman and Holman for the review copy.
 
Book of Days trailer:



Jim talking about Book of Days:



The Chair book trailer:



Jim talking about the upcoming book, The Chair: