Book Review: Proof of Heaven by Mary Curran Hackett

Hello again, readers!

This is me, swinging into reading...
except that I'm blonde. And a girl.

I know that it looks like I've gone a little manic with my blogging so far this year. This will be my 6th entry of 2012, meaning I'm posting every 3-4 days on average. Throughout the year I average less than one per week, so don't fret. I'll calm down soon, I promise. Once this grad school class starts kicking my butt, that is...

I have been reading a lot. Very much above my average rate. January is usually a really good time for me to swing into reading, but it always fizzles out come February. I guess I'll keep swinging until I fall off!

Anyway, I completed another novel over the weekend. It was a super quick, light read that sucked me in right from the get-go. I won a copy of  Proof of Heaven by Mary Curran Hackett through the Goodreads Firstreads program from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. What is it about, you ask? Well, here is the summary from Goodreads:


A mother’s faith, a child’s courage, a doctor’s dedication—a moving and thought-provoking tale of hope, love, and family
He might be young, but Colm already recognizes the truth: that he’s sick and not getting better. His mother, Cathleen, fiercely believes her faith will protect her ailing son, but Colm is not so sure. With a wisdom far beyond his years, Colm has come to terms with his probable fate, but he does have one special wish. He wants to meet his father who abandoned his beloved mother before Colm was born.
But the quest to find the dying boy’s missing parent soon becomes a powerful journey of emotional discovery—a test of belief and an anxious search for proof of heaven.
A magnificent debut novel, Mary Curran Hackett’s Proof of Heaven is a beautiful and unforgettable exploration of the power of love and the monumental questions of life, death, and the afterlife.

The description caught my eye immediately, and I knew this was a novel I would have to read, whether I received a free copy or not. I was pleasantly surprised. It's somewhat of a cross between a Jodi Picoult novel and The Shack by William Paul Young. It exposed the sometimes flawed, yet unbreakable relationship between parent and child, in spite of all obstacles. It also examines death, and the unfortunate reality some children must face recognizing how fragile life is. Cathleen is a young, single mom abandoned by a boyfriend months before her baby was born. Colm is a mature, wise seven-year-old struggling with disappointing his mother. Cathleen's brother, Sean, also plays a large role in Colm's life and perception of the world, God, and the afterlife. These characters blend together to make a wonderfully realistic, tragic, and triumphant story. I look forward to future novels by Hackett.

Here are my stats:
Proof of Heaven by Mary Curran Hackett
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 336
2012 Reading Goal: 1,942/15,000

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this novel from the author or publisher in exchange for an honest review.

And now, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I thought I'd share my top 3 favorite MLK quotes with everyone:

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'what are you doing for others?'"

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"

and, not surprisingly, as a higher education fanatic:

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character--THAT is the goal of true education"