The Abundant Life

The Abundant Life, told mostly in the first person, is about a young man who, with the help of his close friend, Ron, and a quest to begin a new career path, gets into a bind after legally purchasing, and questionably transporting, firearms and ammunition to a mysterious rebel army. Alex took pride in being very intellectual and methodical with this venture but eventually falls on the wrong side of the law. Despite the numerous loopholes he found to do his multi-national arms dealership operation, the feds manage to catch him on a lesser crime. But the novel is not about Alex’s foreign allies, his friend, Ron, or the transport of arms across nations. It is about the notion of achieving an “abundant life.”

In an effort to save his family from impending financial ruin and to repair the damage he assumes he had caused them, Alex devises what he thought was an almost full-proof business plan with the assistance—financial and otherwise—of the renown Reverend Holden. With a symbolic plant as the main attraction, Alex insists that it was a good possibility that the family could make substantial profits from selling his special plant to all the faithful followers of Christ. Alex found the business proposition outlined by Reverend Holden slightly suspicious, if not dangerous, but it is perceived as a welcome sacrifice he needed to make. He, too, may achieve this “abundant life” as his partner, Reverend Holden, often professed.

Simply because I got to hear Alex tell the story through his own eyes, as minute as this may sound, in my opinion, was the greatest gift from the author of The Abundant Life. Mr. Jacobs constructed a very bold character in Alex. I respected Alex for his generous heart, his courage, and his determination. Mr. Jacobs began by introducing a chapter of a book written by Laura, who uses her role as a valued psychologist contracted by the correctional facility to attempt to make a fortune. Unfortunately, I kept forgetting that the book by Laura, which was often referenced, was not a book I will be able to read in its entirety. It was definitely intriguing just to get a bit more about Alex’s conversations in prison, as well as his adventures as a “white boy bandito,” albeit from Laura’s viewpoint. Nevertheless, that addition to The Abundant Life was a creative complement to the book. In addition to the excerpt of Laura’s book, the author used flashbacks of Alex’s life while he explored the life of a gun supplier and during his confinement at Otisville. Mr. Jacobs used the excerpts to clarify Alex’s motivations and to give us some insight into the relationships he had with his friends and partners in crime.

But the far most memorable parts of the book were Aaron Jacobs’ use of imagery when he gave us a taste of the elusive, and not so holy, Reverend Holden and his loyal congregation. There were also some humorous moments that I know readers will find quite amusing. This was uniquely done and definitely reminds me of one of those must-read classics.