The God Cookie

The author of "God Cookie" brings a real freshness to my fiction reading, with a printed voice I can almost hear in my ears. I loved his perspective and his unique writing style. Bookmarked as my favorite part of the book is an enlightening discussion about crying that was the best gender-gulf explanation I have heard in my 54 years!

Unusual satire and quirky relationships pull you in, and the storyline keeps you. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Geoffrey Wood is a "faith fiction" writer, a label that can get a writer's book racked in the Religion section, only to get reviewed by religious publications and reviewers that limit a potential audience. Which is a pity in Wood's case, as he is a very good writer, and shouldn't change his subject matter; the best writers write what they know, and Wood obviously knows his faith. //The God Cookie// is the story of John Parrish, a coffee shop owner, fairly settled in his life and faith. He argues theoretically with his employees about just what faith is, and how one knows they are doing God's bidding. Which is all well and good until he sees God's hand in the fortune from his fortune cooking, telling him to "Take the corner." At first he wants to exchange the fortune for something else, but finds himself going to the corner and taking a seat at the bus stop. There he finds an unaddressed letter under the bench and begins to feel called to deliver. Wood's excellence lies in the personalities he creates, and the comedic timing between them. Sure there is a strong element of Christian faith throughout, but //The God Cookie// is a funny book. John Parrish and his employees - Mason and Duncan - come across as your typical neighborhood coffee shop employees. The people John meets as he follows his quest are as interesting as one could hope in a novel. Faith may be in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes it's in the cookie, or under at a bus stop. //The God Cookie// is everyone's desert.

Coffee shop owner John Parrish enjoys debating anything and everything with his best friends, his employees Mason and Duncan. He especially relishes their arguments over faith and Heeding God's voice. At a Chinese restaurant, Parrish opens up his fortune cookie to a bizarre message: "Take the corner." Whereas his buddies believe this is some cookie cutter nonsense, John believes God is calling him to take a leap of faith. Although he has doubts and expects he will end up humiliated in the eyes of his two friends and several strangers, John heeds the note to go to the nearest corner to obtain further divine guidance. There he picks up a mysterious letter from the ground by the bus stop. John decides his heavenly quest is to deliver the note to its rightful owner. His odyssey has begun. The story line starts slow until Parrish's quest leads him to meet people who react differently to his heavenly need to deliver the letter. His mission enables him to see what others need as if he is wearing their shoes. The interaction between the lead character and the support cast makes for an unusual inspirational tale that fans will enjoy trekking along side Parrish on his journey of the soul. Harriet Klausner

Geoffrey Wood, author of Leaper (another fine, hilarious read with surprising depths), has done it again with The God Cookie. The premise of this novel amused me - a regular guy receives a message from God in a fortune cookie - so I picked it up, and before I realized what had happened, I'd read the first thirty pages. The writing is playful, the dialogue crackles, and I laughed out loud more times than I can count in the first chapter alone. As in Leaper, Wood makes you laugh until you cry - and then makes you cry. I can't wait to read this one again.