THE BELIEF IN Angels is a raw, haunting family saga that explores the darkest side of human nature—and the incontrovertible, uplifting power of hope. Jules Finn and Samuel Trautman know that sorrow can sink deeply—so deeply it can drown the spirit. these two wounded souls—one struggling to survive her childhood with her sanity intact, the other haunted by memories from his past—must decide: surrender to the grief that threatens to destroy them, or find the strength to swim for the surface.
"This is a story full of raw, sometimes harrowing, emotion. It's also the story of two characters, separated by a generation, who despite seemingly insurmountable odds have the resilience and courage to face whatever obstacles Fate selects to block their chances of attaining peace and happiness. Despite the grimness of the narrative this is a story where good does eventually find a way to triumph over adversity (evil) and first time novelist, J. Dylan Yates, has excellent descriptive skills and tells a story that involves the reader from the first page to the last."
"Yates shows much skill in description, characterization and dialogue, and she’s insightful about the mental state of abused children, as when Jules learns to compartmentalize: “I began to see my life in parts. When something bad, or weird, or crazy happened, like my father having a gun and threatening my mother, I’d say to myself: This is the part where my father points a gun at my mother’s head.”
Yates vividly evokes time and place, whether it’s Samuel’s childhood among the apple and cherry orchards in the Ukraine, the bleakness of a Cape Cod tourist town in winter or Wendy’s psychedelic decorating style. Well-written."
"Three cheers for J. Dylan Yates in her debut novel, THE BELIEF IN ANGELS, and for her plucky heroine, Jules Finn, as well. Before going off to college, Jules remembers a tumultuous decade of her life with her irresponsible, drug-addled, free loving mother; her abusive, selfish father; two brothers who cope with familial dysfunction in their own ways; and her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who lives in the morass of his own past. What could be depressing becomes, with Yates’ skilled narration, a heart-rending but deeply optimistic and appealing story about finding oneself, and the power of love and loss to reshape lives."
"J. Dylan Yates' novel, The Belief in Angels, is an auspicious debut. The characters are well-developed, and their lives progress so realistically that the book reads like a memoir rather than a work of fiction. The Belief in Angels is beautifully written."
The Belief in Angels by J. Dylan Yates
Boychik Lit Book Review - No. 26
Here’s my book review of The Belief in Angels by J. Dylan Yates.
In this novel, there are two entwined stories about coping with survivor's guilt. Teenage Jules (her birth name was Julianne) and her grandfather Sam (given name, Szaja) have come through personal ordeals, she with a brilliant but irresponsible and abusive mother, and he through the genocidal persecutions of eastern Europe in World War II. The cruelties visited on him were more overt and violent, but the psychological terror Jules must endure is just as real and emotionally damaging. Yates artfully shapes this book through meticulous detail crafted from the often mundane daily lives of these characters, along with their troubled and introspective thought processes.
Ultimately, it's a story about finding value and making meaning where there seems to be none. There are no redeeming visitations from angels, but in Jules, as in Sam, we get a glimpse of the higher self, the wise consciousness, that prevails in the human psyche.
So, The Belief in Angels may actually encourage your faith in people.
Join us on Sunday, November 23rd at 3PM as this wildly talented author reads from her new novel, THE BELIEF IN Angels
Growing up in her parents' crazy hippie household on a tiny island off the coast of Boston, Jules's imaginative sense of humor is the weapon she wields to dodge household chaos. But somewhere between routine discipline with horsewhips, gun-waving gambling debt collectors, and LSD-laced breakfast cereal adventures, tragedy strikes with the death of her younger brother--a blow from which Jules may never fully recover.
Jules' story alternates with that of her Grandfather Samuel, a man with a sad story of his own. Samuel, once called Szaja, is an orthodox Jew who lived through the murderous Ukranian pogroms of the 1920s and the Majdanek Death Camp--but whose survival came at a price that's haunted him for years.
ISBN: 978193831464
Price: $16.95
Boulder Bookstore presents J. Dylan Yates, author of THE BELIEF IN Angels on 07/09/2014
J. Dylan Yates will speak about and sign her new book, The Belief in Angels, on Wednesday, July 9th at 7:30 pm. About the Book: The Belief in Angels, the stories of Jules and her grandfather intertwine. Growing up in her parents' hippie household, Jules's sense of humor is her weapon against household chaos. But somewhere between discipline with horsewhips, gambling debt collectors, and LSD-laced breakfast cereal, tragedy strikes. Grandfather Samuel, once called Szaja, is an orthodox Jew who lived through the Ukrainian pogroms of the 1920s and the Majdanek Death Camp—but whose survival came at a price. Vouchers to attend are $5 and are good for $5 off the author’s featured book or a purchase the day of the event. Vouchers can be purchased in advance, over the phone, or at the door. Readers Guild Members can reserve seats for any in-store event.
J. Dylan Yates will read from and sign her debut novel The Belief in Angels ($16.95 She Writes Press). “Three cheers for J. Dylan Yates in her debut novel, The Belief in Angels, and for her plucky heroine, Jules Finn, as well. Before going off to college, Jules remembers a tumultuous decade of her life with her irresponsible, drug-addled, free-loving mother; her abusive, selfish father; two brothers who cope with familial dysfunction in their own ways; and her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who lives in the morass of his own past. What could be depressing becomes, with Yates’ skilled narration, a heart-rending but deeply optimistic and appealing story about finding oneself, and the power of love and loss to reshape lives.” —Laurel Corona, author of The Mapmakers’ Daughter
J. DYLAN YATES reads from THE BELIEF IN Angels at Skylight Books
Join us this evening as this wildly talented author bring you a coming-of-age tale quite unlike any you've read before.
Jules Finn and Samuel Trautman know that sorrow can sink deeply—so deeply it can drown the spirit. In The Belief in Angels, by J. Dylan Yates, these two wounded souls must decide to surrender to the grief that threatens to destroy them or find the strength to swim for the surface.
Growing up in a volatile hippie household on a tiny island off the coast of Boston, Jules’s imaginative sense of humor is the weapon she wields as a defense against the chaos of her family’s household. But somewhere between gun-waving gambling debt collectors and LSD-laced breakfast cereal adventures, her younger brother Moses dies—and it’s a blow from which Jules may never fully recover.
Jules’s grandfather, Samuel, wants to help his grandchildren, but he’s wrapped up in a sad story of his own. Once called Szaja, Samuel is an orthodox Jew who lived through the murderous Ukrainian pogroms of the 1920s, as well as the Majdanek Death Camp—but his survival came at an unspeakable price.
In their darkest moments, Jules and Samuel receive what could only be explained as divine intervention—serendipitous experiences that give them each the hope they so desperately need. Ultimately, however, they both must look inside themselves for the courage to come to the rescue of their own fractured lives.
Raised on a tiny, New England peninsula, J. Dylan Yates pursued her BA from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Yates worked with Boulder County's Voices for Children program as a CASA volunteer for 15 years and now volunteers with the Big Sister program. The Belief in Angels, Yates's debut novel, won the Alexis Masters Scholarship Award at the February 2012 San Francisco Writers Conference. She lives in San Diego with her partner and a talking cat.
NOTABLE LOS ANGELES: 11/23
BY XACH FROMSON
November 17th, 2014
Sunday 11/23: La Palabra Reading presents a Tribute to James Foley. 2 p.m. at Avenue 50 Studio.
J. Dylan Yates presents and signs The Belief in Angels. 3 p.m. at Book Soup.
