Owen Fiddler by Marvin D. Wilson

I was thrilled when Marvin Wilson asked me to be part of the virtual blog tour for his latest book, Owen Fiddler, and I'm honored to be the pre-launch stop today and the kickoff event tomorrow. Marvin runs the award-winning inspirational blog, Free Spirit, and I've enjoyed reading his posts over the last few months. Marvin is quite a character, very down to earth and humorous, and I've come to admire him very much.

If you're a regular reader of Free Spirit, you know that Marvin's posts really get you thinking. He doesn't beat around the bush, and he pushes you to the edges of your comfort zone--something I think we all need from time to time. He does the same thing in Owen Fiddler.

There's a price to pay for every parlor dance and play. This line pops up quite a few times in the book, and the main character, Owen Fiddler, finds out the truth in that statement the hard way. Owen Fiddler is an alcoholic, a druggie, an adulterer, and just an all-around horrible person who goes through life pointing fingers at everyone for the bad things that happen to him. He never once blames the breakup of his marriage on the fact that he'll sleep with any woman just so long as she's breathing. It's easy to read Owen's story and think to yourself, "Boy, this guy's a major loser! I'm so glad I'm not like him."

But Owen Fiddler is an "everyman," and this morality tale forces you to take a good look inside yourself. Am I really better than Owen Fiddler? Have I ever treated myself or someone else badly? Have I ever told someone, "If you hadn't done this, then I wouldn't have done that?" God doesn't view some sins as more acceptable than others; they're all terrible, and they all prevent us from accepting the love and forgiveness He offers each and every one of us.

Owen does something awful at the beginning of the book, something he feels makes him responsible for his daughter's death. The book then shifts to the past, to when Owen and his "perfect" brother Paize are just children, and moves forward through his miserable life. When the book makes it back to the present, a decision Owen made several years prior comes back to haunt him, and something needs to be done quickly before Owen's soul is lost for good.

I liked Marvin's straightforward writing style, and at only 205 pages, he packs a punch without saying too much. The scenes involving Owen's daughter, Frenda, and Kris (or Jesus Christ) had a magical, sensual quality to them, and while this vision of heaven isn't what I expected, it certainly didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. Here's an example from page 179:

Every thought, memory and experience she had ever had collapsed into one implosion of experiential "now." Ecstasy, rapture and love beyond anything measurable by human sensual, sexual or emotional capacity blasted her apart. Replacing her sense of being was One Unified Omnipresent Pure Love. The eyes of Frenda and Kris melted together into one eye that could see itself as itself; and at the same time not itself, but none other than the WORD. They became and made pure love with such intensity that the stars shone brighter on the dark side of earth.

I don't know if it's possible to finish Owen Fiddler and not take a step back and wonder how the actions we take affect other people or question whether we're on the right path. Owen Fiddler definitely isn't a role model, but you can learn a lot from him.

Read excerpts from Owen Fiddler here, and don't forget to check out Marvin's Free Spirit blog.

And I'm excited to announced that Marvin Wilson and Owen Fiddler both will be stopping by Diary of an Eccentric tomorrow to kick off the Owen Fiddler virtual blog tour. I can't promise Owen will be on his best behavior, but I can guarantee that having Marvin in the house certainly will make things interesting!

Check out this link to view all the stops on the Owen Fiddler blog tour and find out how you can get your hands on a copy of the book!


Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Owen Fiddler from the author for review purposes.