Review: The Point: The Redemption of Oban Ironbout

The Point: The Redemption of Oban Ironbout by William E. Jefferson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The Point has a lot of potential. Jefferson attempts to "present Scripture’s ancient truths, in a modern context", but I really felt like he tried to hard and his approach didn't contribute to the story.

A couple ventures to Estillyen, an island retreat in which storytellers share the Bible as dramatic readings. Goodwin, or Win, and Leslie or Lee depending upon what kind of mood the author is in both felt drawn, but for different reasons. Goodwin has a picture he drew as a child of a house located on the island based upon a photograph his deceased father had. Leslie is on a spiritual journey attempting to deal with a medical diagnosis.

I found the readings to be out of place in the story, as if the author just wrote the story to be able to include the readings. They didn't seem to flow with the story line and often felt like an intermission of sorts. This could be easily overlooked, but the characters were disappointing also.

None of the characters ever came alive for me. The conversations felt stilted, the author switching between pet names and given names made it difficult to follow. I never connected. Not only that, the reader sees the dramatic connection between some of the characters almost from the get go.

The story has potential, but I feel like the author just wasn't able to make me like the characters. And without liking the characters it was a chore to read.



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