Author M. Funk dives deep into religion, power, love and deception with The Book of True Believer: A Tale of Awakening, a fearless and unforgettable novel that speaks to the fundamental flaws of human nature, exposing them with sharp and rare insight.
On the verge of leaving the world of faith healing forever, the enigmatic Jeremiah Promise is rejuvenated by the unexpected support of True Believer, a woman he had miraculously healed years earlier. Reinvigorated in his faith, and believing that their meeting was the sign he’d long been waiting for, he easily convinces her to join him on his questionable journey to change the world. True and the Man Himself not only dive into a rebranded faith ministry as unequal partners, but also into some semblance of a relationship – one rife with travel, spontaneity, emotional labor, and undeniable power imbalances that threaten to destroy them both.
Written with tenderness and deep care for the characters and ideas being explored, this book reads like a revelation, preached by a refreshing voice that is both confident and vulnerable. The narrative format of diary entries allows for an unfiltered and playful style that draws readers into the bubbling heart and mind of True Believer, a compelling protagonist like few others. Her evolution over the course of this novel is remarkable, from a starstruck ingenue to a complex force who isn’t afraid to defend her boundaries and speak her truth. Despite her name, readers stand witness to the gradual wavering of her faith, even in the face of her miraculous lived experience, making for powerful thematic fodder.
The book doesn’t approach faith healing from a judgmental or condescending angle, but does shine a light on the inconsistencies and broken promises that can arise when charlatans gain a following. Jeremiah Promise is a masterclass in narcissism in its truest form, a tragically common personality trait that can be hard for many to detect. True’s circuitous logic and nearly endless faith is portrayed expertly through the author’s careful manipulation of dialogue and relationship dynamics, demonstrating what gaslighting can look and feel like through True’s own accounting. The slow erosion of her belief imbues this book with a palpable tension that can shake readers to the core.
On a technical level, the editing is excellent, without any obvious errors, but the weakest element is the formatting. Given the journal entry style, the frequent paragraph breaks feel odd, as that isn’t how most people write in a diary, and there are also some words and phrases that come across as internal monologue, or self-referential responses, rather than something one would write down.
Aside from these small and easily overlooked critiques, The Book of True Believer is a compelling drama that feels impossible to set aside; even after the final page, the hard questions and powerful lessons from this impressive story remain.
The Book of True Believer won the Bronze Prize in the 2020 SPR Book Awards.
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