Book Review: A Day in the Death of Charlie Vaughan by Jonathan Ford

Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? Have you imagined yourself flying in the afterlife? Are there animals in heaven? Will you be married? Will you be able to re-visit earth? These questions and others are considered in this colourful tale of Charlie Vaughan, an older gentleman who dies suddenly and goes to heaven. It is a work of fiction. There is a lot more to the story however than just going to heaven. The book is a heady, hallucinogenic mix. Think C.S. Lewis’s The Screw Tape Letters, plus Frank Peretti, plus the TV series “V” (green lizards controlling people), plus Dante’s Inferno, plus the author’s energetic imagination. Exhilarating, strange, cosmic and confusing in equal measure. There are some angelic beings (not enough) and lots of demons (too many) causing havoc. The demons lead lots of people astray. The angelic beings, including Charlie, fly back to space\time earth. At this point it is probably better to leave your theological brain at the door and just enjoy this for what it is – a novel. Otherwise, the mental gymnastics around the fantastic extra-biblical material is just too much (angels experiencing fear?). More about the Saviour or the presence of God would be good. The lingering image however is not the flying angels or the lizard demons but what happens in prayer. The golden cord to heaven of prayers is both powerful and poignant. There are thoughtful, well-placed prods to believers not to be complacent about the lost. And the over-arching theme of free will and choice. Some sound theology amidst the fantastic.