Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry takes us back to Dogwood, West Virginia, where he fills the landscape with hollows, miners, a horrific flood, a mandolin, bluegrass music, sadness, small victories, and radio. Chris constructed a story around a real man named Billy Allman, but the character Billy Allman is his heartfelt re-creation of and tribute to the man Chris never met but heard about from a listener to Chris’s program on radio station WOTR, 96.3; Lost Creek, West Virginia.
Told in a reverse style of The Screwtape Letters, both Billy in his first person account coupled with his warrior angel “Malachi”, who is none too happy not to be on the front lines of spiritual battles, give us their versions of Billy’s life as it happens. When Malachi is called away for a short season, he knows there’s been a significant occurrence in his charge’s life during his absence but has no knowledge of what happened to change him.
Billy Allman (the character) shares the love of mandolin and music with his father who teaches him the instrument and allows him to play bluegrass with the men who meet to play the music that runs through their souls. From a faithful family, Billy is well aware of the blessings of Jesus even when he doesn’t quite understand how God operates. Billy’s a natural at all things electronic and musical and can fix just about any equipment used to create and maintain a radio and its transmission. His dream is to have his own radio station.
Malachi must watch as a horrendous flood sweeps away the bare-bones homes of mine workers, killing many—if not in body, damaging souls.
Billy and his mother strangely escape the flood waters stampeding down the road where their car is parked while Billy’s mom tries to rescue her husband as he’s trying to save the children of their neighbors. When the car is consumed in the oily black water, Billy finds himself whisked out of the swirling death where he and his mom can climb to safety on higher ground. Later his dad turns up in the hospital, but the damage to his lungs from the mine and his sorrow at being unable to rescue his neighbors combine to lead him to an early grave.
Life isn’t easy for Billy and his mom, but the friendship with a girl named Heather who rides the school bus and saves Billy a place makes hope tangible for the boy. When Billy is offered to accompany a well-known band to play the mandolin in church concerts, life changes for the young man in ways he never anticipated.
While Malachi is away, life takes some difficult turns. Realizing some dreams don’t come easy and some others don’t come at all, Billy plugs away at his life wondering much like the rest of us if there’s any significance in what he does.
Billy learns in unexpected ways how he’s holding back his emotions, and Malachi takes a difficult journey to find out why. When Billy ends up in a fight for his life and that of a woman who loves him, the long put off righting of a period from his past surfaces and finds a satisfactory conclusion.
Almost Heaven tells a tale of one faithful man’s hard life. The significance of the title shows up toward the end of this story and fits perfectly with the tone set by Chris Fabry. Included in this novel is the reappearance of the character June Bug (aka Natalie) from his previous novel of the same name. It’s an easy tie-in and works very well. I’ve said before I’ll read any of the adult novels Chris writes, and this one reinforces that statement. He’s talented, unique in voice, makes his settings for the story as meaningful as characters—and as telling—and mixes down home with lovely prose. Chris Fabry is a gifted storyteller and a terrific writer.
Father, you know the trials of the Fabry family. They know you've never abandoned them in spite of it all. I pray for many blessings on this family and plenty more of your inspiration for Chris's stories. Thank you for him and his heart for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.