Official Review: The Book of Joy

[williamsack6329]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Book of Joy" by Monique Jesiolowski, Robert Jesiolowski.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In Monique and Robert Jesiolowski’s novel The Book of Joy, the reader is taken through a journey of a young woman coming to terms with her own pain, insecurities, and relationship with God. After getting out of a toxic relationship with Carson, Joy moves to a new town where she begins working for a law firm as a victim advocate. Here, Joy meets a number of eccentric characters like those of Victoria, Camilla, Reynir, and Irene who all warmly welcome and befriend her. Outside of work, Joy comes across a quaint coffee-shop/bookstore owned by a therapist named Anamcara and her husband Solly. Both of them provide counseling services to any interested customer. Joy, who was offered such therapy, made clear that she couldn’t afford the sessions, which prompted Anamcara to allow her to work part-time at the store in return for free counseling. Joy accepts this offer. What’s more, the main character encounters a little girl who lives next to her, named Anne, who gifts Joy with a much-needed personality of fun-loving innocence—which is mostly bereft in Joy’s life. Each of these people, in their own way, help Joy along as she meets new people, falls in love, gets a new apartment, and grows in her relationship with God. All throughout, the book is peppered with song references, pop culture icons, and literary allusions that all work to clarify and invigorate the piece.

One of the most likable and astounding aspects of the book is the authors’ ability to touch the heart of the reader in such an impactful and unprecedented way. Never before in reading a book have I felt so profoundly moved and spiritually affected than I have in The Book of Joy. Moreover, every character who associates with Joy each, in their own regard, appear to represent divine characteristics that all transform Joy and strengthen her relationship with God. For instance, on page 68, Reynir (Joy’s coworker) refers to himself as a “spirit of justice,” likely citing God’s biblical demand for righteousness. Further, Irene serves as an embodiment of pure and unconditional love for Joy and every other character she encounters. Mackey, Oggy, and Donnie—old friends of Joy’s—represent the Christian ideal of community and togetherness. Solly, whose name may be alluding to the biblical figure Solomon, is the very quintessence of wisdom. Lastly, and probably most importantly, is the symbolic naming of Anamcara. This character is one of Joy’s closest friends and mentors in the book, which is wildly significant since this name mirrors the Celtic phrase “Anam Cara,” meaning “soul friend.” Another part of this book that will amaze most readers is the inclusion of songs that span from the Beatles to Twenty One Pilots. The authors will even write in lyrics of some of these songs that will directly pertain to the literary situation at hand, which seems to suggest that God is communicating to Joy through music. I was also electrified by the masterful symbolism used in the book, like when Joy moved into a new, well-lit apartment, which starkly contrasts her old, windowless one. This, I think, reflects her emotional migration from despondency to a state of hopefulness. The only minor issue I took with the book was the fact that the main character never really came across a vehement atheist or someone of a different religion or belief background. I think I would have liked to see how the character interacted with people who opposed her religious beliefs entirely, rather than majorly agreeing with her views.

With all of this being said, I think Monique and Robert Jesiolowski’s book would mostly relate to a pious, Christian audience. I don’t think anyone with a differing religious opinion would be as captivated by the book as one who subscribes to a religion that at least branches from Christianity. However, I think it is important to note that with all of the many musical and comic-book allusions, the exploration of addiction, sexual assault, and self-esteem, and the highly relatable relationship issues, this book can truly appeal to anyone. Additionally, I think that this book is not especially suited for a really young audience, since they may not be able to understand or relate to the heavy themes the book touches on.

Despite all of this commendable writing and unparalleled composition, The Book of Joy does contain quite a few errors. While these exceed ten in number, they do not really ever become distracting or detrimental to the value of the piece. Further, these mistakes mostly include simple misspellings or missing articles that never become confusing or disorienting. For example, on page 56, the authors write “‘We are in relationship’” rather than “‘We are in a relationship’”—a mistake that does not add any confusion or make the sentence unreadable by any means.

All in all, I think that Monique and Robert Jesiolowski’s masterpiece The Book of Joy deserves a score of 3 out of 4 stars. This book deserves the highest rating possible since it will prove to nearly any reader how powerfully insightful and touching it can be. If not for the lack of professional editing and revision, I would suggest a perfect score for the book.

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The Book of Joy
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[Cynthia_Oluchi]

I feel I understand what you meant when you said the author was able to touch the readers' hearts in an unprecedented way. This review alone gave me the same feeling. I got captivated by the chronicles of Joy's life as each line unraveled.