Proof of Heaven

September 5, 2011
At the center of Curran’s first novel is Colm Magee. Abandoned by his father before birth, much loved by Cathleen, his mother, Colm has a condition that eludes diagnosis: his heart stops beating without warning, and resuscitation is increasingly difficult. Medical science provides no answers until they come across Dr. Basu, who has lost a son of his own and who makes an immediate connection to Colm and Cathleen both. Dr. Basu pinpoints the diagnosis, one that provides no hope or treatment, and so Cathleen digs ever deeper into her religious convictions. But Colm, by the age of seven, has rejected the idea of God and heaven, a fact he doesn’t want to share with his mother. In Dr. Basu he finds a mind more like his own, though initially his mother’s not too sure. In Cathleen, Dr. Basu sees an example of “grief never ceasing to transform,” and indeed the focus on her struggle to reconcile faith and loss both overwhelms and undercuts an otherwise interesting premise that the author took from her own life.

October 1, 2011
Does heaven exist? Are our loved ones waiting to reunite with us? Can near-death experiences offer proof? In Hackett's debut novel, everything hinges on an intriguing young boy, Colm, whose rare medical condition repeatedly causes him to die and return to life. Indeed, Colm physically manifests the dilemma each character in this novel faces: How can brain and heart, reason and faith, speak to each other? Except for Colm, the characters seem to have come from central casting. His mother, Cathleen, is a beautiful, self-sacrificing, long-suffering woman whose life revolves around her son. Lonely Cathleen carries on day after day in a dead-end job, worrying about her ill son, worrying about her brother (an alcoholic firefighter) and questioning whether science or God can heal her son. She has never recovered from being abandoned by Colm's father, Pierce, yet her persistent attention to Catholic ritual and unwavering attention to her son lead her to Dr. Basu. The last in a string of doctors, Gaspar Basu is, of course, the only doctor to take her son's condition seriously. Troubled by his own past, Gaspar is immediately attracted to Cathleen and concerned for Colm, because Gaspar feels responsible for his own son's death and his own wife's suicide. Cathleen and Colm offer Gaspar the chance to make amends with his past. Indeed, Colm's illness becomes the blessing in disguise that heals everyone around him: Sean gives up drinking; Cathleen and Gaspar find love; and Colm himself discovers his own proof of heaven, meeting his long-lost father in the twilights between heaven and earth. The quest for a miracle in Assisi does not heal Colm, the pacemaker inserted by Dr. Basu does not cure Colm, but a road trip across America brings everyone together as a loving family. In the end, it is neither faith nor reason but love that saves everyone. Colm's medical condition and repeated resurrections offer intriguing narrative possibilities. But, weighed down by sentimental prose and predictable characters, Hackett's premise stalls out.

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November 15, 2011

Seven-year-old Colm, who suffers from a disease that causes him to go into cardiac arrest, knows he is dying. His mother, a devout Christian, tries to find comfort in her faith, but Colm is not so sure that he even believes in God. But he has one wish--to find the father who abandoned him before he was born. VERDICT Colm's journey will move and charm readers who are also searching for answers to their own questions of faith. Hackett's lovely debut is a good choice for Melody Carlson devotees.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2011
Cathleen knows there's something deeply wrong with her son, Colm. Prone to fainting spells that stop his heart and require a team of EMTs and defibrillation paddles to revive him, Colm is a fragile little boy with an unknown condition. Continually disappointed by the fact that the next doctor and the next test don't produce a specific diagnosis for Colm, Cathleen begins to turn elsewhere for answers. Proof of Heaven is a remarkable first novel that explores the intersections of science and religion, medicine and faith. Hackett uses a unique blend of scientific terminology and religious history to illustrate Colm and Cathleen's journey, adding a layer of realism to an incongruous premise. While Cathleen's maternal trials could have been amplified to melodramatic extremes, Hackett's lyrical restraint allows the character to shine. Hackett also takes full advantage of her supporting characters, allowing Colm's newest doctor and Cathleen's troubled brother to carry portions of the narrative. Reminiscent of Carol Cassella's recent work, this is an emotionally fulfilling, spiritually inviting, thought-provoking novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)