In his second published work of fiction, THE GOD FILE, Frank Turner Hollon has constructed the poignant observations of an innocent man serving a life term in prison. Gabriel Black is free of guilt for the murder of his lover's husband and free of regret at accepting blame. Yet, his life in prison challenges his sanity and his faith. To cope with the sorrow, loneliness, and emotional desperation there, his thoughts turn to God. Black's spiritual search is not focussed exclusively on religion but instead on the idea of cosmic justice, the existence of God, and the meaning and purpose of life.
In a moment of both passion and violence, Black takes the blame and then ultimately the punishment when his lover, Janie, shoots her husband. Resigned to spend the rest of his life in prison to protect her, Black seeks answers to life's large questions in the prison library. From religion to history, fiction to philosophy, Black reads everything he can in order to distract himself and to meet his emotional and spiritual needs. He begins collecting evidence for the existence of God in his "God File": quotes from books, prison stories, copies of the letters he has sent to Janie and the ones he has received from his father. Black's contemplation also takes him back to his childhood and to memories of his saintly mother, his alcoholic father, his long-lost brother, and a parade of friends. His first confession, his first kiss, little league games, and his pet dog all flood his memory and contribute to his conclusion that God does exist. His hope, his search alone, Black claims, is proof of God's existence, as are the small but meaningful spiritual experiences he has despite (or perhaps because of) his surroundings. In one such moment, Black finds himself dropped to his knees in awe and faith when he finds a moment of silence and peace after a bloody fight breaks out in the cafeteria.
A quick but nonetheless moving read, THE GOD FILE is a deeply spiritual novel. It points to a distinguishing feature of humanity, the need for hope, and how that need, that humanity, is virtually impossible to extinguish even in the most violent and horrible of places. Those without hope are those who have lost their humanity. The convicts Black lives with all illustrate this. Some are angry, some are crazy, and some are sad but still most hold on to hope. It is those without it whom Black is cautious of. Yet for all its hopefulness, the novel can be brutally bleak: for Gabriel Black hope is the ultimate proof of God's existence, and the ultimate example of hope is suicide.
Despite his honesty and likeability, readers most likely will not be attracted to Black nor surprised by his fate. Gabriel Black seems to be more of a device used by Hollon to explore this topic and less of a complete character. However, with that in mind it, is easy to overlook the novel's shortcomings, because as Gabriel Black understands, it is the exploration and not the conclusion that is the most essential thing.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
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