The Long Journey to Jake Palmer

Starred review from May 23, 2016
Jake Palmer feels he is on a dead-end road. A corporate trainer who teaches others that everyone is a bottle with a blank label, Jake actually suspects that his own label says he’s not enough. After a physical confrontation at a gas station in Washington state leaves Jake severely burned and his marriage begins to deteriorate, Jake slowly succumbs to self-deprecation and depression. Although his heart isn’t in it, he agrees to join his friends for an annual summer gathering at a lake house. Though he has helped his friends a lot with their own lives, Jake is bitter and no longer trusts God due to the accident that changed his life forever. While leaving a disastrous business trip in Chicago on an airplane, Jake meets straight-talking Leonard, who had snuck into his motivational lecture. In the course of the ride, Leonard persuades Jake to start afresh this year at Willow Lake, where local legend has it that a corridor at the end of the lake is a portal leading to the heart’s desire. Entwined nicely with Jake’s work concerning personal reflection and self-knowledge, the concept quickly takes over the story’s momentum. Rubart’s (The Five Times I Met Myself) style is candid and unobtrusive, making it easy to visualize the beauty and peace of the lake house. Key themes of forgiveness, rebirth, and emotional healing emerge organically through Jake’s struggles. Rubart will leave readers inspired to ponder what the label is on their bottle.

James Rubart, author and narrator of this audiobook, spins a morality tale with a man named Jake Palmer at the center of the story. While attempting an act of heroism, Jake, a mild-mannered management trainer, is lit on fire and horribly burned--disfigured from the waist down. When he loses his successful business and beautiful wife as a result, he responds by retreating into himself. Rubart knows his character well and makes all of Jake's anguish terrifyingly real. To try to heal, Jake goes on a soul-searching retreat at a lakeside cabin, where he has a mystical experience that opens his eyes to God. Rubart's voice is versatile, ranging from booming to a whisper of wonder. His dual skills as writer and narrator give listeners a satisfying story. E.E.S. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine