Chris Fabry's Not in the Heart gives us yet another look at this talented and versatile author's voice. Published by Tyndale Fiction, Not in the Heart presents a perplexing, mostly despicable, protagonist who still manages to eke out just enough empathy to keep rooting for his "heart" to change.
Truman Wiley, absentee husband and father while his wife raises their sickly son Aiden and healthy daughter Abigail, builds his world-renowned journalistic career at the expense of his family and chooses gambling as his out card for stress and adrenaline rushes. As is the case with those things that propel us forward to addiction, he can no longer make excuses for his stops at the casinos, his unpaid bills building to impossible pinnacles, and the man who loaned him money in New Orleans will stop at nothing to collect the thousands Truman owes him. All of this while his 19 year old son lies in ICU with his heart failing by the minute. Without a visit from his father.
A man on death row claims he's innocent of the murder of a young woman he knew, but since finding Jesus in jail, he's resigned to his death and wants to donate his heart to Aiden Wiley. His wife Oleta and Truman's wife Ellen met in church, and in a rare conversation with her husband, Ellen asks "Tru" to consider writing the man's story, knowing if anyone can capture the reality of the ordeal from both sides of this quandary, it'd be the award-winning journalist who's now out of a job and nearly bankrupt physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Ellen's faith teeters between hoping her son will get the heart he needs, desperately wanting her husband to know the Lord, and trying to justify the sacrifice of a man who says he didn't commit the crime. Ellen's heart beats for the love of her husband, but her hope for reunion is nearly extinguished.
This isn't typical Christian ficiton. Truman Wiley is as real as the guy next door, the one you truly like but have a hard time watching how he lives his life. Sardonic, cynical, witty beyond belief, this God-insulting teller of the tale would either be J. Mark Bertrand's Roland March's best friend or his worst enemy because of how similar they are at their darkest moments of the heart. Portraying a gambling addiction to perfection, Chris Fabry doesn't pull any punches in how consuming the urge can be, how it can degrade a person into such a sell-out of soul the hardened heart condition refuses to respond to the prompts of conscience.
Not in the Heart, a fabulous and appropriate title of multi-dimensional implications, presents a complex plot involving every member of Truman's family. Told mostly from his point of view, we see a man who's driven by the story until the story takes him to a place of absolute truth - a place he never expected to find.
Chris Fabry has a knack for endings that make your gut churn and your eyes burn - and ones I don't always like. Not in the Heart is no exception. Chris is one of the best American writers of contemporary fiction. Unique stories with insightful character studies and prose that surpasses every expectation, I cannot recommend a better writer. And I bought this book. No free copy. No review required.
Father, thank you for your people, the wonderful skills you've given to them. Thank you for the gut-level honesty in Chris's writing. Thank you for the places of the soul you've allowed him to go to give real portrayals of people via fictional characters. I pray your blessings over Chris and his family. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.