cover image THE TWO DOORS OF HEAVEN: A Story of Your Future

THE TWO DOORS OF HEAVEN: A Story of Your Future

John Bolin, . . Multnomah, $13.99 (170pp) ISBN 978-1-59052-264-6

Bolin (Life Unlimited ) takes a leap of faith in designing this unusual hybrid book. The first half, a sort of mediocre homage to the bestseller The Five People You Meet in Heaven , is a fictional tale of a man who dies tragically in a freak accident and faces the afterlife. In calculated fashion, Bolin sets the stage for six stilted characters who each receive their own chapters: Millie, the wheelchair-bound Christian; Alexis, the once-abused bitter lawyer; the Professor, the nameless intellectual who cries out to God; Elliot, the millionaire searching for life's meaning; Jack, the skeptic and primary character whose marriage is failing; and Nate, the thief on the cross who cried out for mercy as Jesus was being crucified. In succession, these individuals look into the past and offer an abbreviated discourse about why they do or don't believe in God. Bolin then spends the remainder of the book recounting an interview with a Hollywood representative in which Bolin explains the theology behind his fictional story. As Bolin eagerly attempts to evangelize his captive, nonbelieving Hollywood guest into a relationship with Christ, much of the conversation comes across as scripted and contrived. Sadly, Bolin's sketches are plodding at best and dreadfully sappy at worst. (Feb.)