2010
First Published
3.91
Average Rating
240
Number of Pages
The Book of Harold is as profound and deeply respectful a novel as it is irreverent in its wild, often hilarious take on a modern messianic movement. The titular hero of this masterful satire is Harold Peeks, a quirky middle-aged suburbanite living a lonely if typical modern life in the outskirts of Houston, Texas. His world feels bland and pointless until one evening at a mundane office party he announces to his stunned co-workers that he is the Second Coming of Christ. Oddly enough, people start to believe him. Blake Waterson, Harold's closest friend and narrator of the novel, is as skeptical as anyone of this disheveled and disconcertingly bawdy Savior and yet this would-be Judas is compelled to follow Harold on his two hundred mile walking journey to Austin with a mismatched group of equally puzzled disciples. On the road this motley crew of witnesses to the holy get to experience misguided converts, violent possums, and the ungrateful recipients of off-kilter healings. They also discover the inherent paradoxes, humor, and dangers within spirituality.
Avg Rating
3.91
Number of Ratings
201
5 STARS
35%
4 STARS
35%
3 STARS
18%
2 STARS
10%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads
Author
Owen Egerton
Author · 7 books
Owen Egerton is the author of the novel The Book of Harold, the Illegitimate Son of God as well as the novel Marshall Hollenzer is Driving and the short story collection How Best to Avoid Dying. He is also an accomplished screenplay writer and commentator for NPR affiliated stations. He is also the co-creator of the award winning comedy hit The Sinus Show which performed for six years at the Alamo Drafthouse Theater, and for several years Egerton was the artistic director of Austin’s National Comedy Theatre. His writing has been featured in Puerto del Sol, Killing the Buddha, Tiferet, Word Riot, and several other magazines and literary journals. Egerton earned a MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University in 2005. He currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two children.
