The Ascension of Jesse Rapture

Louise E. Allin, a poet and short-story writer, is also an English instructor at Cambrian College.

In his latest novel, Barry Dempster combines a madcap style and wit with
a well-disciplined and balanced plot.

After Daddy Rapture dies, his wife turns his traditional evangelical
ministry into the Church of Incredible Love. Meanwhile, the rest of the
family (the grandmother and two children) seek their own diverse
fulfilments. The elder son follows a lusty religion of
“Self-Involvement,” and his more beatific brother, Jesse, becomes
involved in levitation. When Jesse seeks a use for this gift, he
discovers he also has powers of healing.

Never does Dempster revile or make fun of his characters; instead, he
loves them for their faults and leads them to a conclusion where their
complementary qualities knit the family into coherence. Dempster’s
prose is fluid and his structure coherent. The main theme is love in
many forms: the love of humankind through different approaches to
religion, the love of self, and the love of family, which can conquer
all. The comic complications of media coverage add a contemporary touch,
while the Toronto setting provides a rich and informative dimension.