Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Proof of Heaven: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Proof of Heaven: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Proof of Heaven: A Novel
    Ebook331 pages4 hours

    Proof of Heaven: A Novel

    By Mary Curran Hackett

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “Proof of Heaven belongs on any keeper shelf. It’s beautifully written, mesmerizing and tragic, thought-provoking, and a reaffirmation of faith….I loved this book.”
    —Shelley Shepard Gray

    Proof of Heaven by Mary Curran Hackett is an astonishing debut—a moving, inspiring, and wise first novel that explores beautifully the meaning of family, faith, and love. The story of a mother’s unshakable belief, a child’s bravery, and a doctor’s dedication to healing, this is extraordinarily compelling contemporary fiction certain to appeal to fans of the acclaimed works of Alice McDermott, Mary Karr, Ann Lamott, and Jodi Picoult; to readers who made the inspirational novel The Shack a phenomenal success; and to all of us with questions of life, death, God, and the afterlife at the forefront of our minds.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateNov 1, 2011
    ISBN9780062079992
    Unavailable
    Proof of Heaven: A Novel
    Author

    Mary Curran Hackett

    Mary Curran Hackett lives with her husband and children in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    Read more from Mary Curran Hackett

    Related to Proof of Heaven

    Related ebooks

    Religious Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Broken Road

      Jun 24, 2023

      The Broken Road
      5 min read

    • Article

      Kids & Angels

      Jun 25, 2022

      Kids & Angels
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Face I’ll Never Forget

      Jun 25, 2022

      The Face I’ll Never Forget
      3 min read

    • Article

      Meet the MODERN GRANNY

      Jun 4, 2020

      Meet the MODERN GRANNY
      6 min read

    • Article

      Sweet November

      Oct 28, 2021

      Sweet November
      3 min read

    • Article

      In His hands

      Oct 28, 2021

      In His hands
      2 min read

    • Article

      Bucket List Bridge

      Dec 23, 2021

      Bucket List Bridge
      1 min read

    • Article

      In the Moment

      Mar 26, 2019

      In the Moment
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Woman Who Got Thin

      Jun 26, 2020

      The Woman Who Got Thin
      4 min read

    • Article

      Good Bones

      Mar 19, 2020

      Good Bones
      18 min read

    • Article

      Dirty John: Terra

      Oct 9, 2017

      Dirty John: Terra
      9 min read

    • Article

      Partners

      Sep 15, 2018

      Enter,” she says, and is obeyed. He’s taller than before, or perhaps he only seems taller now that he’s here, in the house. She walks behind him, moving toward the living room, and wonders if he might be too tall for her house. It soon dawns on her t

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Watch

      Apr 30, 2020

      The Watch
      4 min read

    • Article

      A New Beginning

      Mar 25, 2022

      A New Beginning
      5 min read

    • Article

      Shruti Swamy

      Jun 15, 2018

      Not the scent of the smoke, but the sight of it, not the sight itself, but the screen through which it altered the sunlight—she couldn’t articulate the change exactly, it’s just that the light seemed odd, like the acidic light of a nightmare. She had

      13 min read

    • Article

      The House of God

      Apr 10, 2023

      “I don’t want to go,” the child declared defiantly, and his mother felt her headache ratchet up another notch. “I know you don’t. And I understand why. But we still have to go, so please find your other shoe and put them both on.” She was almost enti

      6 min read

    • Article

      An Unspeakable Life

      Jan 10, 2022

      It was a perfect fall afternoon when Muriel found out she was pregnant. Tourists snatched up apple cider by the gallon at farm stands. Leaf peepers stood on the side of the road with their cameras aimed in all directions; wherever you looked, a quint

      12 min read

    • Article

      Haunted House Whodunnit

      Sep 20, 2023

      Haunted House Whodunnit
      2 min read

    • Article

      THE greatest LOVE

      Oct 21, 2021

      THE greatest LOVE
      10 min read

    • Article

      Dancing In The Dust Motes

      May 5, 2022

      Dancing In The Dust Motes
      4 min read

    • Article

      Open Short Story Winner Tight Situation

      Apr 4, 2024

      When Carol first wakes up, she thinks it must have been a dream. The ringing phone had been distant, muffled as if the landline device had been buried in a bag of something soft like cotton wool - the packing material stuffed so tightly into its bag

      6 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Baby Boys and Expletives

      Jun 10, 2022

      Baby Boys and Expletives
      5 min read

    Reviews for Proof of Heaven

    3.5/5

    51 ratings20 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Pretty sappy. I was misled by a brief review into thinking this was a story about a mother and her very ill child. While that is certainly a portion of the story, it is really a tale about a woman's faith. The references to her Catholic practices were intrusive. It seems very unrealistic that a renowned heart specialist (MD) would take a vacation from his practice on short notice in order to essentially be a nurse to a young child. There was nothing that he really did, medical wise, that warranted his presence. I know we are supposed to believe he is doing it because of a romantic interest and because he sees his own son in Colm, but it didn't convince me.Catherine and her brother had pretty serious emotional problems (anger, alcoholism, co-dependence), and the characters made no attempts to address them. Perhaps it isn't surprising, since the main character is based on the author's own life.
    • 2/5
      Colm is dying, but his mother won't face this fact. With her waning faith, the friendly monsignor, an alcoholic brother and her son's doctor, Cate desperately tries anything to save her son. When offered a trip to Assisi, Italy for a faith healing, Cate embarks on this journey, and finds herself falling in love with Dr. Basu, who is still reeling from the death of his own son.Initially, the story begins well. However, as the story continues, I found it to become more disjointed and felt less connected to the characters.
    • 4/5
      A young boy, with an incurable disease,looking for his absent father. A plot in a lot of heart breaking stories, but Mary Curran Hackett was able to hold my attention long after I had usually quit reading a book. I truly fell in love with Colm, her son, and his adventure to find his dad.The quest to find the father was an inspiring journey and I was crossing my fingers, hoping at the end of the story, all would end OK. Not to give away the climax, but this is a great example of love, faith and more questions concerning death, the afterlife and even the death of the very young. This is a moving and thought-provoking book, not one that will bring you down, I recommend this book for a great read.
    • 3/5
      This story is such an eye-opening and thought-pondering mix of faith and non-faith. There are many thoughts about what people believe and the clash between those beliefs. The young boy seems to keep the faith going because his mom needs it that way, but then declares his real feelings and puts Cate into the mindset that really makes her question her own position. Well written and Colm is a very brave and smart child who goes through so much and loves his mother with all of his being. Worth the read and makes you ponder the attitudes of different thoughts on faith.
    • 4/5
      A thought-provoking book about a mother living with a son whose illness will take him from her at any time. The characters in the book are all at different stages of doubt in their belief in God, and in heaven. Each deals with their doubts in different ways, while all trying to resolve themselves to the fact that the boy they love so dearly, Colm, will soon be experiencing first-hand his own proof of heaven.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful newly published writer. This is the story about the short life of a little boy, his overworked mother, alcaholic uncle, a priest who is sure God will save the boy and the doctor that tries to find the cause of his all too frequent "deaths." Well written and disturbing at times. It's one of those books that you can't put down even though you know it will end badly.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading Proof of Heaven, it was an easy read and an engaging story. I admit I had preconceptions of this book before I read it, I had hoped for a moving tearjerker but I was afraid of a contrived plot and too much of a religious viewpoint. I can say that I was pleased that a particular religion wasn't shoved down my throat and that I did cry. I did feel that the author was contriving to pull those tears from me- but sometimes I believe, isn't that the purpose? In this case I say yes and give this story 4 stars.
    • 4/5
      I’m not even joking – I devoured this book in three hours. I could not put it down. Out of tea? Oh well. Cold and need to move to the bed to get under electric blanket? Nope. Don’t wanna stop reading.Yet this book was so filled with such emotionally corny scenes I’m a bit ashamed of myself.This goes back to that idea of entertainment. Was Proof of Heaven a challenging, literary read that had me pausing to collect my thoughts and ponder over the wonders contained in those pages? No. It wasn’t. But it was entertainment, and it made me “aw” a little, and it made me think about faith, and love, and hope, and joy, and sadness and all sorts of other human ideas and feelings.While parts of the story did feel contrived (I’m sorry, I understand why the author was wanting her 5 – 7 year old boy to be that insightful, it was just a bit too jarring), there were parts that were beautiful as well – specifically the exploration of the relationships. Each character’s connection with Cathleen was unique and beautiful, in their own ways. I felt the frustration and the anger of Sean, the faithful steadfastness of the Cathleen’s priest, and sympathized with the Doctor as he grew closer to the small family he was helping.While this isn’t one of those summery beach reads, it is a perfect read for a chilly winter day – provided your mug of hot tea doesn’t rudely empty itself before you can finish the book.
    • 5/5
      Mary Curran Hackett has written a novel that is utterly exceptional, And, it is relentlessly heart-wrenching in beauty. Through her ability to convey the troubles of womens' hearts, we understand how profoundly blessed and, yet, bereft we've been not to have known the mind of a child with recurrent dying episodes. If you are a mother who has experienced this heart-crushing thing, I can only shake my head and cry for you.This story is profound in the content, and it's moving in the story-telling. I loved the book and urge you to take the time to travel the road discovering eloquent, but sometimes simple answers to the deepest questions and wounds of our hearts. Is there proof of heaven?Colm Magee, like many children who live with life-threatening illnesses, has the mind and emotions far beyond his age. His mother, Cathleen, bears the larger burdens of feeling her child's pain/illness, helping him carry the unknown rejection of his abandoning father, and the consistent questions Colm has about "proof" of heaven. If you're a mother, you know exactly what bearing your child's pain means, so Ms Hackett digs deep in the telling...It's through their emotions that "Proof of Heaven" takes us along with these beautiful characters: learning how to cope (or trying to) with Colm's near death experiences and the aftermaths, learning to bridge love, losses and friendships with doctors, learning to "come home" to rejecting husband and lost family, and healing the hurts that come with all of that; then, ultimately having Colm's knowledge that only comes at the end of life.I was so moved, yet stricken with the magnitude of Ms Hackett's ability to express the feelings of her characters that I had to sit back and catch my breath. I cried and I was introspective. It was a wonder to me that this is her first book.This book is what I'm talking about when I ask, "Where are some authors taking us these days in their writing?" Here was where I found some goodness and truth about living and dying. Here is where you'll find some honesty and reality about life and souls reaching out for each other.I highly recommend this unforgettable novel to you. It's the other side of "Room"...it's the answer that some children and parents may have questions about. And, it's a story that will inspire you to think about the proof of heaven.At the end of her book, Mary Curran Hackett has a section kindly giving more answers with special dedications for her book, why she wrote it, an interview and a book group guide. I rarely take the time to go over these sections in other books, frankly. In this book...I took the time. You should, too.
    • 4/5
      I'm always skeptical about books that touch on religion or faith because they usually push one belief or another. I was impressed that this book embraced all kinds of ideas without giving more credence to one over the others. The main characters and their struggles with faith, relationships, and the inevitability of death was thought-provoking and very human. The voice of the Colm, the child, was a bit adult at times, but this is my only complaint in an otherwise touching story.
    • 3/5
      As a mother, I can't begin to imagine the terror of hearing that your child has a terminal illness of ideopathic (unknown) origin and that you will most certainly lose him no matter what lengths you go to to save him. I do, however, know the terror of having your child collapse as we are a family riddled with vasovagal syncope problems and my two oldest have had EMS called for them at school. I would say there's nothing worse than running into a building past an ambulance with flashing lights to find your sweet child surrounded by medical personnel. But, of course, there is something far worse as the plot of this novel makes clear. Cathleen Magee is a single mother who has spent all but the first six months of her precious son Colm's life trying to find out the underlying cause of Colm's collapses. Terrifyingly, during his collapses, he stops breathing and his heart stops. When the book opens, Colm has another of his episodes and he and his mother end up in the office of the doctor who finally diagnoses what is causing the problem. And it's not harmless. Although Colm has thus far always come back from the empty blackness he experiences when he is technically dead, Dr. Basu has to tell Cathleen that what Colm is suffering from is in fact a progressive and ultimately terminal illness. But such a diagnosis does not deter Cathleen, a devout Catholic, from her continued quest to find a cure for Colm, whether by means of medicine or miracle. While Cathleen prays for a miracle, even taking Colm to Assisi, Italy in search of a miracle healing, Colm himself, although only 7, recognizes that his time is short and that there will be no miracle. He also knows that there is no heaven because when he collapses, he descends into a dark nothingness. Reluctant to destroy his mother's hope, he confides in Dr. Basu, who has fallen hard for Cathleen and her small doomed son, despite the terrible tragedy in his own background. What Colm most wants, once he is assured that Dr. Basu and his uncle Sean will be there to support his mother when he is gone, is to find the father who abandoned him before he was born. Although wise beyond his years in so many ways, Colm is still searching for a complete family, in spite of the family he has gathered to himself and who all love him desperately. The characters here are all lost and searching. They are searching for family, for completeness, for a sense of peace, for love, for faith, and for the certainty of an afterlife. Cathleen's need for hope and her desperate search for it anywhere she sees a glimmer is well done. She has wrapped her whole being into Colm's small failing body and if strength of will alone could keep him alive, she would be able to ensure he lives forever. Colm, while certainly more prescient than most children his age, comes across as too old. There is little about him of a child, making his character feel less authentic than his mother's. The additional storyline of uncle Sean's alcoholism is perhaps a bit too much. Obviously Sean is searching just as much as any of the other characters here but because he is not the focus of the story, his struggle and addiction take a backseat to the rest, almost minimizing the terrible toll alcoholism has on a family. Since each of the characters' internal dialogues are revealed, the reader can see just what is driving each of them individually. This has benefits but it also has the drawback of sometimes being too easily laid out for the reader. Just as the existence of heaven and even faith itself is a mystery, the characters should not have explained all of their actions, leaving the actions themselves to speak for them. There was a lot of emotion packed into the pages here, as you would expect from a book that addresses the death (or potential death) or a child. The tension of wondering if Colm was going to finish his quest or if Cathleen would come to terms with his disagnosis ran consistently throughout the narrative. And yet when the end of the novel came, it was somehow a letdown, and left me feeling confused. I certainly understand what happened at the end but there were so many unfinished threads that I was astonished to find there was nothing further to read. It felt more like a full stop ending than a resolution, even one that deliberately left things unexplained. An interesting premise about facing the unknowable and unthinkable, sometimes with grace and other times with rage, it fell just slightly short of the promise for me.
    • 4/5
      I started this book barely able to put it down. As I got partially through the book, though, the characters were less believable to me. I have a child who speaks much like an adult, but Colm, the boy in the book speaks almost like he's not of this world. The cover drew me in though, and the subject matter---that of a single mother and her terminally ill son--was good. I am an esoteric thinker, so I enjoyed that aspect of it. I also liked the background on the doctor. I think perhaps adding more information about Colm's dad and the outcome of that would've helped. The description says it's about the search for him...but really...it's a search for life, it's about families, and it's about healing. It was a good read...I'd recommend it. It won't make my top 10 of all time...but I'd recommend it.
    • 4/5
      I was pleasantly surprised by the book. I found it an easy, fast read, and I was able to get engaged by the story even though I normally wouldn't be attracted to novels with a religious bent. I appreciated the book even more after reading about the author. I think it's a great first novel.
    • 4/5
      Being a mother, the mother-child bond is something that I hold sacred, so when I saw that I could review a book about a single mother who finds out that her only child, a son, has a life-threatening illness, I was both excited and worried about the task. Frankly, I wasn’t sure that I could handle the subject matter. My son and I are very close, as are the mother and son in this novel, and I wasn’t sure that it wouldn’t rip out my heart to read this novel. I’m really glad I chose to read it anyway.In Proof of Heaven, Colm is a little boy who has always known that there was something special about him. Since he was an infant, Colm has experienced seizures that end in him on the ground, unbreathing and with his heart stopped. There is little warning other than a feeling of falling for Colm and he feels as if he loses a bit of himself each time it happens. Even worse, Colm worries that there is no heaven, the heaven his mother so desperately believes in and prays for, because when Colm seizes there is nothing but blackness. More than the fear of dying, for Colm, is the fear that he will shatter his mother’s belief system. It’s a lot of pressure for such a little kid.Cathleen has spent her young adulthood struggling to keep her son alive. Every time he dies and is brought back to life through the power of medicine she fights to keep her head above water. Her own life and dreams are on hold until whatever is wrong with Colm can be treated and cured. She spends her days working tirelessly at a job that doesn’t challenge her just to pay the bills and her evenings praying and trying to save her alcoholic brother and her son. When Cathleen discovers that Colm has a terminal illness, she endeavors to take them on a journey that will end with Colm’s cure regardless of the cost to all of them.Proof of Heaven is a journey of family, a discovery of the life that lies just beyond us if we will reach for it and the life beyond this that may be out there. Faith is both a huge part of this novel and such a small piece of it that the reader will wonder exactly what happened at the end of this book. The twists and turns in Cat and Colm’s story are worth the read and kept me involved. There were times I wondered how Cat could be so devoted and yet so negligent; how Colm could be so strong and yet so young. It was a delightful read with frustrating and lovable characters.Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions on this novel.
    • 4/5
      Proof of Heaven is the story of a single-mother, Cathleen, who desperately wants to find out what is causing her young son, Colm, to collapse and "die." For years the doctors have been suspicious of her and her stories that he has "died" several times for no known reason. Then she meets a new doctor, Dr. Gaspar Basu, who thinks he knows what is causing her son's heart to stop.The novel is an interesting story about love, faith, and science. The young boy, Colm, has a great voice and a wisdom beyond his years. At the same time, he wants what many other boys his age would want - a father. Each of the four main characters - Cathleen, Colm, Sean (Cathleen's brother) and Dr. Basu has a clear and distinct view of the situation with Colm's health and what it may tell them about faith.The book kept my interest most of the way through. I actually enjoyed it more in hindsight (after reading the author's notes at the end).
    • 3/5
      I was pleasantly surprised by this debut novel by Ms. Hackett. She writes about something close to her heart and you can feel it with her character development. Sometimes what we are looking for is right in front of us.
    • 2/5
      I wish I could give this book a better review and more stars but just couldn't get into the book. The story of a mother and her small son who has a strange disease and she will do anything to save him but it just doesn't come together. The mother believes in God at one time and then doesn't believe at other times and it goes back and forth the whole book. Very tiring and finally you just want something, anything to happen!
    • 5/5
      I loved it! So much here to think about- science versus religion, medicine versus faith. This book is very well written, especially for a first novel. I thought the four main characters we well developed and very real; I was sad to see them go when the book ended. The premise alone would be enough for me to recommend- a boy who dies repeatedly, and tries to make sense of his existence - but the character development and narrative definitely made this a five star winner for me.
    • 2/5
      I liked the basic premise, but Catherine was often unlikable and very conflicted; a doctor making a pilgrimage to Italy, a child dying a number of times, a brother that does everything and anything. These were all nice things, but when they added all up, just became too much. Catherine wasn't a character that I really could understand. While she grabs on to religion with both hands, she also has this belief that she deserves more than the average person. A lot of people are going through difficult things, but it seemed she felt she should be above it all. I know it's a book, so the fact that the character actually invoked that much emotion is a good thing.I tried, I even finished the book - but it didn't wind up redeeming itself.
    • 3/5
      This is a story of a suffering child with a strange and dehabilitating illness that takes him to the brink of death over and over, his ongoing doubts about God, the afterlife, and a yearning for his absent earthly father. This child's progression of thought is presented alongside the child's mother, uncle and doctor's differing views of death and God. The story is harrowing and somewhat dragging; there is a feeling of let's get to the point here, whatever it will be. The ending brings an unexpected resolution of the child's questions about his earthly father's absence and the afterlife. It was not the feel good book that I was expecting, rather one of feeling "wrung out" despite a somewhat peaceful end.