The story mirrors this intellectual weakness. The early chapters are strong on narrative and pace but the ending sort of fades. Anderson tries to tie up some loose ends and bring the story to a close but leaves the reader with a melancholy and restless note about returning to his polyrythmic life; about John Coltrane as therapy. One definitely gets the feeling that Anderson will be filling in these details with another book.
What you are left with is a sort of emotional tour of growing up evangelical. An interesting, and at times insightful, description of the culture and personalities of a particular time and place. The book captures the tension, guilt, and doubt that abound as a person struggles to become his own person; especially when that clashes with those around him. What Jesus Sound Explosion fails to do is give these personal experiences a deeper or broader meaning. As a result it lacks the power it might have had. Even with this weakness, however, it remains a unique and moving book, and one worth reading.
For more see this interview with the Mark Anderson.
Article comments
1 - kevin
Good review overall, though I'd point out that the lack of a conclusion really summarizes where Mark appears to be at. He's embraced a complex and confusing faith that doesn't give him a lot of solid ground. He believes in God's unconditional love, but he's not sure about much else. So when it comes to giving a lesson to walk away with, there's not much Mark can give.
While that doesn't make for a great ending of a book, it's at least consistent.