What a novel read! I really enjoyed this modern day parable. It was creative and thought provoking. Rhodes has a really readable style. The chapters were nice and short and the story was easy to follow and in places it made me laugh and in places it reminded me of what a horrible place this world has become. It is written in today's society, and that is reflected in the rawness of the topics covered and the prophanities used by GOLDMAN and his hedonistic desires and what he sees as his right to take regardless of its consequences or who it affected and hurt. I like the way Goldman's companion for his journey is the very unlikely tramp who he had seen fit to ignore before, but when reality struck he came to see past the lack of wealth and cleanliness but found instead acceptance and love. I would highly recommend it especially as an evangelistic tool

I found this a gripping read, I didn't want to put it down, and I found myself intrigued by the depth and multi-layering of the story, which was also entirely believable because of how skilfully it was told. It has given me much food for thought, and the characters spoke to me about wisdom, humanity, and truth, in a story that explores the meaning of life. The story is accessible to anyone, whether or not they would call themselves people of faith. The enlightening truths that stood out so much for me were: a) how we try to buy acceptance amongst the 'people who matter' and how often that human need to be accepted motivates people. b) what happens when you confront the things you are scared of, and actually how liberating that can be, even though it can also be painful to let go of longstanding fear. c) the insightful writing about forgiveness: the pain of receiving it when you know to your shame how damaging your behaviour has been; the life and healing that comes from being met with gratitude, forgiveness, love from others; and the truth that 'when you open your heart to forgive, you open your heart to be forgiven.' I highly recommend this book, which brings a message of hope for humanity, touches on things of global and eternal significance, as well as being a thoroughly good read.