Review of "Clouds Without Water: A Novel" by Garry Harper

 

It's the mid-19th century and Calvary, New York is a farming town with God-fearing residents who attend a Baptist chapel called Calvary Church every Sunday.



The church was founded by Reverend Samuel Miller.....



......whose designated successor is his son William.



William leaves Calvary to attend the seminary, and - after the death of Reverend Samuel - the church is temporarily led by Brother Thomas Aleman. Meanwhile, William studies the scriptures for two decades, then returns to Calvary in 1844 to take his rightful place as head of the congregation.

Brother William's biblical studies convince him the End-of-Days is imminent. He preaches that every moment leading up to the End-of-Days is captured in the scriptures, and the Second Coming of Jesus will be preceded by horrors and havoc.



The pastor goes on to say he's calculated the exact date of the Second Coming, which will occur in six months.....on October 22, 1844. This gives Calvary citizens a mere half-year to prepare their souls for salvation.



Some residents of Calvary subscribe to Brother William's proselytizing, while others are skeptical. Doubters include Pastor Thomas Aleman - who clandestinely tries to get the Baptist Convention to censure Brother William;



Henry Smith - a widowed farmer raising three children, one of whom has severe breathing problems;



and Helen Chandler - the oldest woman in Calvary and a descendant of the town's founding familes. In fact Helen declares to the congregation that Brother William is a charlatan.



Brother William's advocates feel vindicated when 'calamities' start to descend on Calvary. First, non-believer Helen and her daughter are walking down the street when lightning strikes Helen and she's killed, her flesh burned away. Champions of Brother William believe this is a sign from God.



The believers' feelings are reinforced when a torrent of locusts sweeps across Calvary, devouring all the grain fit for human consumption. This leaves many residents impoverished and struggling to feed their familes.



As time passes, Brother William attracts more and more followers, especially after Josiah Young - owner and editor of a struggling newspaper called the Calvary Crier - devotes his paper to the Second Coming;



and the schoolmarm Mrs. Edwards begins to exclusively teach Brother Williams sermons.



The pastor's followers develop a cult mentality. Many start dressing in long white robes with hoods that shroud their faces. They also give up their usual activities to pray at church all day, hoping God will deem them worthy of saving.



Followers of Brother William are absolutely convinced about their beliefs, and NOTHING will dissuade them. Believers will say and do anything to prove they're right, and the situation in Calvary grows dark.

The author seems to be very familiar with the scriptures, and the novel contains MANY pages of sermons and biblical chatter. This gets tedious and slows down the story.

Still this is an interesting novel, well worth reading, especially in the current climate, where huge lies are disseminated as truth.

Thanks to Netgalley and Garry Harper for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars