A Book of Revelations

June 13, 2016
GenreComing of Age, Crime, Humor, LGBT, Literary, Romance
Audience Adult
Format Short Stories
Type General Fiction
Word Count 60-80k (average/short)

Editing, Production, Marketing & Sales

Edited by Cheri Johnson
Published Through Ingram Spark – Lightning Source
Marketed by The Cadence Group
Displayed & sold at Provincetown Bookshop
Distributed by Lightning Source
Additional services through The Cadence Group – Book Consulting

Reviewed on October 3, 2016


Review by Yvonne Lieblein

The Rundown

A Book of Revelations opens with a Eudora Welty quote about the way our lives unfurl in a sequence of time that defies chronology, instead following a “continuous thread of revelation.” This insight from the short story doyenne leads readers into A.C. Burch’s collection and then lingers, an almost imperceptible but undeniable bass line connecting 8 eclectic tales.

While distinctly different, each story is inhabited by characters who exist on the fringes until they’re flung into storylines where they’re forced to collide with other people and previously unknown facets of themselves.

Welty’s  “continuous thread of revelation” is evident in Burch’s “Private Quarters” when an unlikely friendship and paper-thin walls prompt a college music student to begin peeling back the layers of his identity and “Götterdämmerung” as a professional musician becomes a conduit as his struggle with the ephemeral nature of fame becomes a catalyst for exploring and expressing his deepest desires as he comes to terms with himself.

Each story draws readers into continuums of isolation and connection, introspection and expression, confusion and lucidity as its characters stumble and soar toward finding and claiming their own voices.

 


The Recommendation

A Book of Revelations delivers the voyeuristic aspects of social media sans FOMO (fear of missing out) thanks to Burch’s stellar ability to place a reader inside the characters he’s created. His short stories have an epic feel because of his exquisite use of language and penchant for deftly wielding details. (Prepare to be compelled to reread  details like “her right blinking flashing as she turned left” multiple times.)

Lately, there’s been no shortage of research on the benefits of reading floating around in the “soundbite-osphere,” everything from reduced stress levels and higher happiness quotients to better sleep and elevated empathy. (This inc.com feature rounds up nine of them.) As for the latter, being immersed in the worlds masterfully created by Burch may result in an almost immediate boost in understanding.

The eavesdropping sensation they induce is mesmerizing, and the stream of unexpected revelations are, too.

 

LINK FOR ARTICLE ABOVEL  http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/9-ways-reading-fiction-can-make-you-happier-and-more-creative.html

 


The Rating Selected as a Top Pick!

Top Pick! 5 Stars (out of five): Freaking amazing. Any agent or publishing house that passed this one up made a big mistake. It was selected by our reviewer as a personal favorite. This is also a nomination for our Novel of the Year award.

The Pros & Cons

Pros: Characterization, Dialogue, Strong World-Building, Surprise Ending, Unique Style

Author’s Summary

Life is all about risk. Sometimes you embrace it. Other times, fate forces your hand. This powerful collection transports the reader from “Private Quarters,” where a young musician must negotiate the competing demands of two strong-willed women, to a luxurious yacht in the Caribbean, where an embittered detective finds himself rejecting his “Last Chance” at love.

In “Götterdämmerung,” a concertmaster must salvage an orchestral performance when his conductor has a stroke on stage, while in “Curtain Call,” “the other woman” crashes a swanky memorial event for her lover’s wife. “The Midnight Suitor” chronicles a hilarious encounter just after the first world war, while “The Honoree” exposes the machinations of a dean at her farewell event.

“Even in Death” follows the antics of a wife and mother who wears a drag queen’s dress to a wake and transforms her friend’s life in the process.

Short Description

These stories are about the cliff—the tipping point—the instant we must roll the dice or succumb to the status quo. Burch’s characters face life with courage and humor in a tenacious search for meaning and fulfillment.

Catchphrase

Unlikely heroes risk all

Additional Links

Visit the Official Website
Find it on Goodreads
Like it on Facebook

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