Jack in the Pulpit (Hardcover)

Jack In The Pulpit explores the questionable ability of a comatose mind to remain active, and creative. It should appeal to a broad readership, from dogmatic religious fanatics to diehard atheists and many in between. There is a physical element to appeal to men, and an emotional one to appeal to women who enjoy reading sensual but tasteful novels. As sexual beings we all undoubtedly experience inner desires to act out certain behaviors that may not be in line with the accepted norms of the society at-large. When we suppress our desires out of concern for how we may be perceived, it can create all kinds of physical and emotional problems. This is when retreating to the privacy and protection of our own minds becomes our best alternative for satisfying those desires. Maria Cappo, a young divorced woman in her twenties, is rushed by ambulance to a hospital emergency room in the early morning hours. The once-attractive face of Maria--a high-priced prostitute--has been battered by a pimp, and she now lies in a coma. While Maria remains near death for the next six months, the reader is inside her mind as she scripts a story of her life, both as she lived it, and--in stark contrast--as she would like to have lived it. This she accomplishes vicariously through familiar, and made-up characters, two of whom are a paradoxical preacher and his assistant. During this period, we digress with her from the present to her early childhood. Maria is in an on-going struggle with her conscience and while she is bitter about the hand life has dealt her, she is torn between the pleasures of an immoral lifestyle, and becoming "born again." However, until there eventually comes a turning point, she alwaysseems able to justify her behavior--with approval from her deceitful pastors who subject her to sexual exploitation--to get past any feelings of guilt. Her shift in motivation occurs when Maria encounters a so-called guardian angel who responds to her desperate prayer of salvation. His counsel is in direct conflict with what Pastor Natasmai has been teaching. Her estranged sister, Danielle, is an extremely important personality in Maria4s comatose mind, and then is with her dying sister in real life at the end--till the moment of death. In the final moments of Maria4s life, you are left to ponder which paths in life you might opt for, and which ones you may want to avoid.