Review of PJ Nichol's Short Story Born Again

When PJ Lincoln contacted me to review his short story Born Again, I was intrigued. No one had asked me to review a short before (and when I say short, I mean 3500 words), so I agreed. I downloaded it from Smashwords for free using a coupon code that PJ has agreed I can share with one lucky commenter.

I have to say that the concept behind PJ's former flash fiction submission for Writer's Digest is quite fascinating.

Here's the blurb from Smashwords:

Beth Tanner is a liar. For more than a decade, she has hidden the truth from her devoted husband, Jackson. They’ve built a solid life together, with the house in the ‘burbs and a couple of kids. On a rare evening out, Jackson’s lust for the latest electronic gadget sets the couple on a crash course with the truth. Born Again takes a fresh look at the bonds that keep people together in a fast-paced short story. 

So this little splash of fiction embodies one of the three Triple Threats of marital discord: COMMUNICATION.  Right off the bat we know Beth has a secret, and her life is just so status quo that you quickly read this little piece to find out what she's hiding.

It's also got a little for the speculative fiction lover. PJ's "LifeSync" gadget at a Brookstone store in the mall where Jackson and Beth are hanging out could fill a full-page novel with endless possibilities, no problem.

If the gadget would truly allow you to sync lives with your partner...would you want to do it? See events from their eyes? Know what they were thinking, feeling? Would we want them occupying our very thoughts, even if it was in hindsight? Would you want to be an open book...I mean, crack-spined open? What do we hide from our spouses on a daily basis?

Then I got to thinking about how this is exactly what the Lord Jesus does every minute of every day. I can only imagine how he must cringe at impure thoughts of lust or bitter plans for revenge that his people have. He is more than LifeSynced with us...he's omnipotent.

At any rate...this is a super quick read. It's got a little language, but it is Christian-themed, as evidenced by the title. Born Again is available for sale from Amazon.com for 99 cents, as well!

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