David Payne dies in a horrible wreck. Five friends from college decide to honor his memory and finish his charitable service project. Various reasons they give: out of guilt, for publicity, for an alibi.Meet Karyn & Kevin. Divorced ten years ago, with a fifteen year old daughter. Karyn is an actress for a daytime soap opera. Kevin is a high paid executive for a candy company. Both are absorbed with their success.Lisa is a woman, never married and secretly harboring an infatuation over an old friend, who runs a daycare and cares for her ailing parents. She obsesses over the rewards she receives from her church and being noticed.Susan, an interior designer, is financially stable through the death of her older husband. She agonizes about her looks and her status.Then there is Mark. An used car salesman, out to make a quick fortune, who hides a horrid secret.On the way to the Marshall Islands, a storm capsizes the boat. The five friends find themselves washed ashore a desolate island with black volcanic sand that cuts their feet. The sun is hidden behind a stationary curtain of gray clouds. Hot air and hot winds assault them. No food. No freshwater. How can they survive?Slowly, they discover that the skull shaped cave they find is a master of revealing secrets. Little by little, each are shown who they really are: a vicious gossiper who will do whatever it takes to get what she wants; a man who is selfish and controlling, thinking only of how he can manipulate the people around him; an adulteress who delights in her beauty and in her seduction of other women's husbands; a single woman who is two-faced, a wolf in sheep's clothing; a man who is a serial killer.As the island takes control of them, never to release them, can these five people ever hope to survive? No. No one escapes Hell.These people discover that they gave up the One Perfect Gift for their own selfish desires, they realize that they will never die, because they are already dead and residing in Hades. They now live with endless parading of each others secret sins and utmost misery that comes from not accepting Christ.Written with hints of Jesus' parables of the sower, the rich man in Hell, and the ten bridesmaids, this book will make you truly think and view your own soul.The beauty of this story: Because none of us are worthy or righteous and all of us deserve to be on that desolate island of pain and thirst, of misery, it can be avoided through the acceptance of Jesus Christ.
Overall: Good read. What I liked: The story was great--well written and engaging. The slow unfolding of the depth of the story really was done brilliantly. That writing skill alone nearly pushed me over to four stars. I found the symbolism used perfectly--no overkill.What I didn't like: This book would have been significantly better without the weird switch between past and present tenses. I mean, it is only in two small places and I STILL was bothered by it. Additionally, having so many characters switching from perspective to perspective in such quick succession most of the time, was hard to follow for the first quarter to third of the book and then became a bit annoying near the end. Had I been able to give 3.5, I would have. As it is, and as I said previously, I almost gave it four stars anyway.Notes: This is another of Angela Hunt's brilliant work. It really is. Like "The Novelist," it's almost a parable. For those who do not enjoy things that are symbolic or allegorical, they might not enjoy it. This is closer to a modern Pilgrim's Progress than, say, Kathy Herman or Kristen Heitzman.
Do You like book Uncharted (2007)?
This is the only book I've read by Angela Hunt, and I would consider reading more things written by her based on how much I enjoyed this one. The story gets off to a slow start because she introduces about 6 characters, and the first several chapters go back and forth between them. If you can hang in until about 70 pages in, you'll find the rest of the book satisfying. The mystery of the island keeps you turning the pages, as well as the secrets that each character is trying to keep hidden from the others.This is very thought provoking, making you think about your own thoughts and intents of your heart. It should make both Christians, and unbelievers alike, think about eternity. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It was unlike anything I've read before.
—Liz
For anyone thinking about life, eternal life, heaven and hell, the meaning of life. I strongly recommend this book. I listened to the audio version but I ended up buy the Kindle edition as well. Today I am finishing up a blog post sighting the similarity between Angela's book and The Great Divorce by CS Lewis. Interesting how authors from 2 different centuries have had their imagination stoked by the destination of souls. I would strongly recommend Uncharted! Be ready to be taken to an unexpected place.
—Catherine Mullaney
plot summary: what happens, when & where, central characters, major conflicts[return]a group of friends that used to be extremely close in college is reunited when one of them unexpectedly dies. the deceased was a doctor who spent his vacation time on mission projects around the globe, helping underprivileged children. each year he would invite his former friends to go with him, but none of them ever found the time. now their former employer (the friends all met because they worked for the same guy) pleads with them to fulfill their friends dying wish that they go on one of these trips. so five very different people--a prima donna, an actress, a daycare provider, a car salesman, and a business man--find themselves travelling to the other side of the world to build a school. however the weather--and god--may have very different plans for them.[return][return][return][return][return][return][return]style characterisics: pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.[return]it takes a little bit of reading to get into the story, as hunt jumps from character to character and it takes a while to get to know who is who. the story builds into a powerful allegory, however, twisting into something much different than what it might seem at the beginning. which raises some very interesting questions about the nature of hell. this in itself makes it quite a stunning read.[return][return][return][return][return][return][return]how good is it?[return]a stunning read, part adventure story and part allegorical parable.
—Deb
