On a rainy spring day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, twenty-five-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning brand new nine-thousand square foot house. And after meeting Sarah Sabin at a nearby ice cream shop, he has two reasons to visit the beach every weekend.
When bizarre things start happening in the rooms of the home, Micah suspects they have some connection to his enigmatic new friend, Rick, the town mechanic. But Rick will only say the house is spiritual. This unnerves Micah because his faith slipped away like the tide years ago, and he wants to keep it that way. But as he slowly discovers, the home isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical manifestation of his soul, which God uses to heal Micah’s darkest wounds and lead him into an astonishing new destiny.
Engaging| Posted May 19, 2010
Like many of the people who recommended it, I too read through Rooms in less than a day. I don't usually go for Christian scifi because I'm no theology expert. Give me Karen Kingsbury anytime; real life people in a real world with no weird time/reality bending to muddle the issues. Even so, I decided to give it a whirl. Comparisons to The Shack, another house-centred Christian novel, didn't even sway me. Rooms is superior; a compelling story of choices, second chances, healing, and forgiveness.
Successful software entrepreneur Micah Taylor (a glance at the "thank yous" reveals he was named after Rubart's two sons) is living in a fool's paradise. At first glance, anyway. Inside, he's a barrel of mixed emotions, unhealed wounds, and bad choices. A letter from his uncle (who is not God), the first of several arrives in the mail informing him that he is sole heir to a custom-built house on Cannon Beach, the one place that has come to symbolize all that is broken in his life. He travels down there, thinking he'll check the place out and put it on the market. Instead, the house grabs him by the heart and won't let him go. For it is more than a house; it is a mortar, wood, brick, and glass representation of his soul. And it will lay on the line everything he holds dear. Challenge his perceptions of what really matters most. Bring him face to face with the God he abandoned. So the big question remains; world or soul?
Shades of Brigadoon (movie) and Twice In A Lifetime (TV show) here, only it's so much more than that. You can write off the former as a nice fantasy, and the latter as a whimsical look at second chances. But Micah's backstory is easily yours or mine. Despite the fantasy elements, we all have to choose whether to "sell eternity to buy a toy." (Whose quote is that? Nice!) On the outside looking in, we can ape Peter all we want, ("Oh no, Lord, not I!") but when push comes to shove, we'll blow it just like he did. I say this with certainty because you probably have. I know I've made my share of mistakes. What is so incredible is that God wants us back, even after we're damaged goods.
Rooms is not only full of great spiritual insight, it's well written fiction too. Rubart manages to make his characters sound like real people, with the exception of Micah's father, Daniel, who sounds a little too precise in his words. Mysterious, soulful Rick.....sweet, innocent Sarah.....shallow, worldly Julie....these are people we live with and work with every day. He also manages to balance out the serious themes with some well-placed humor. And as for the fantastic nature of many of the scenes in this book? If you can suspend your disbelief long enough to watch Star Wars, then you can surely imagine the possibility of a journey into self. In fact, this reviewer predicts that you won't have to imagine for long. Movie rights are probably being discussed as you read this.
You don't have to be a scifi geek, a book maniac, or even a Christian to enjoy Rooms. But I dare you to do more than enjoy it. I dare you to ask God to boot up AutoCAD and show you your floorplan. Get ready for a wild ride as you and God explore your own Rooms together.
