AARON JACOBS
WRITER
"Aaron Jacobs makes a strong, gimlet-eyed debut with this tale of guns and religion — American culture’s two eternal verities — and one cynical young man’s improbable attempt to save his family and his own soul through the power of salesmanship."
--Jonathan Dee, author of The Privileges
Things are not going well for Alexander Wolf. At thirty years old, he leaves behind three years in federal prison for a more confining environment: his childhood home, where he soon discovers that a trashy tabloid book written about his life, and the subsequent made-for-TV movie, have turned him into the town’s most famous pariah. Faced with no prospects, he must rely on his family. The only problem is that their situation is more dire than his.
In a fit of desperation he concocts an outlandish rescue plan for his Jewish family: marketing products to fundamentalist Christians, a prospect that attracts the attention of a wealthy faith healer, the mysterious Reverend Warren Holden. As Alex and his family put their financial house in order, they are dragged deep into Holden’s bizarre world, leading them from suburban New York to the Mojave Desert, where they finally learn that not all cons are about money.
"With its delightfully unique, hilarious, and, many times, infuriating characters, The Abundant Life introduces us to the Wolf family and we are better for it. I swear my mouth puckered from Jacobs' acerbic wit, just the way I like it."
--Samantha Bee, host of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
"The Abundant Life is an entertaining and edgy rebirth story spun by an unflinchingly honest narrator. Aaron Jacobs has written a novel that is compulsively readable and filled with whip-smart social commentary that is often laugh-out-loud funny. This is one firecracker of a debut."
-- Julia Fierro, author of The Gypsy Moth Summer and Cutting Teeth
"Uniquely done and definitely reminds me of one of those must-read classics." --Manhattan Book Review
"A funny, madcap story that somehow doesn't defy reality...written in language that cannot be printed in a family newspaper" --Washington Independent Review of Books
"Aaron Jacobs' madcap tale of family dysfunction, heavy weapons smuggling, and the uniquely American enterprise of hawking eternal salvation in exchange for legal tender is a stunning literary debut that will have you laughing from the first page to the last. With an inventive yet utterly believable plot, memorable characters, and sharply crafted sentences, THE ABUNDANT LIFE will leave you racing to the end and pleading for more."
--Shulem Deen, author of All Who Go Do Not Return