5 out of 5 stars
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"Visiting With An Angel" by Jerry A. Greenberg is a philosophical book about self-discovery. The story begins with Jerry, a retired widower, living alone after his wife died and his two children got married and left the country. With only his cat Ray to keep him company. In his loneliness, he begins to wonder when he started to isolate himself from his community and the people he grew up with. Realising he had limited his interactions with people to his late wife, parents, and children. As a result, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Wondering where he fits in the world. Is he a reproduction of his ancestors in opinion and approach to life? Must he adopt his ancestors' beliefs to lead a successful life? Is he losing his identity by following his own beliefs? Then he receives assistance from an angel in his quest to find the answers to these questions.
The book is approaching a heavy topic that has been discussed several times. However, I liked how Jerry A. Greenberg creatively used fantasy combining it with philosophy to lighten the heavy topic. I also liked how he used himself as the protagonist to ground the story in reality. And used a fictional plot to keep the readers from getting bored. Also, he used himself to emphasize the fact that these questions and the feeling of being lost aren't excluded to the young generation alone. They can be asked by anyone regardless of their age. The book is exceptionally well-edited. And the author used simple language to approach the subject, making it easy to understand.
What struck me as odd was how the protagonist kept asking these questions to everyone he interacts with, whether they were old or new acquaintances. Which is unrealistic considering the subject is somewhat private. I understand his purpose in having these discussions with these people: to gradually lead him to his answers. Which is exactly what occurred with some of them. But approaching the subject with complete strangers, confiding in them about his meetings and discussions with the angel, didn't make sense. Which was a negative in my opinion. However, it had no effect on the overall plot, so no points were deducted.
I rate this book 5 out of 5.
For enjoying the book despite its heavy topic, all the other positive aspects I mentioned earlier, and the very rare profanity used with almost no errors.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys philosophy. And I believe it is more appropriate for an audience in their fifties and older.
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Visiting With An Angel
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