Vernal Promises

By Jack Harrell

Jacob Dennison believes that every good thing in life comes at a cost. His wife Pam's miscarriage confirms that. Never mind that his boss at Food World has outrageous demands; that his father, a shady oil field equipment salesman, wants to make him a man in his own image. Never mind that his new friend Dwayne, a cunning drug dealer and occultist, wants nothing less than his discipleship. Jacob is willing to push beyond their expectations. His greatest struggle will prove to be his saving grace: he can follow only one voice--the one that speaks within him and drives him to the brink of ruin and ultimately a higher price than even he had imagined.

"This is a brilliant novel, written with language that crackles. The relationships are treated with force and poignancy. The power of the story is its authenticity and the character's compelling conversion. He begins as a boy who refuses to accept responsibility, becomes the husband who longs for freedom, and at last the man who feels God's grace in spite of himself and the self-destructive path that has beckoned to him with a siren's allure. This brings a voice to Mormon literature that is clearly worth honoring." --Marilyn Brown, author of The Wine Dark Sea of Grass

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560851716
• ISBN13: 9781560851714
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Signature Books
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Life, as real as it gets

This book has a certain realism that compelled me to keep reading and reading. I wanted to know where it was taking me. From keg parties to ward parties, from acid trips to child birth everything in this book is very real, perhaps a bit too real for some. The author drew me into the scenes and characters which a language and style that was easy to read, very descriptive. I could tell the author was telling this story from the heart.

Excellent Man

I had Harrell as an English Professor in 2002 and I was excited about his up coming book. He is one of the most captivating teachers I have met and one of the most captivating writers I have ever been taught by. The book is excellent and I look forward to many more.

A compelling narrative about complicated choices

Vernal Promises by Jack Harrell is an impressive work of Mormon literature that speaks of an ordinary man who sees everything positive as coming with a cost. Jacob Dennison is beset by mixed morals at every turn, his test of faith is to follow his one inner voice, even though the cost could push him to the brink of ruin and take a greater toll than he imagined possible. A compelling narrative about complicated choices, Vernal Promises is an impressive novel and documents Jack Harrell as a master storyteller able to grasp the attention and interest of his reader from first page to last.