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I’ve given myself a day to digest this story before putting my thoughts down on paper. I’m still not sure I can adequately express my feelings about this story. What makes this story so unique is the characters. Their deep-seated emotions, the way they view life, their longing for peace of mind, peace of life. The quirks that both Jacob and Beatrice encompass are what make these characters so memorable. Their views on life, from the smallest of things to the largest defines them both. Without their uniqueness I don’t think the story would have worked. Tiffanie DeBartolo has a gift of transferring every emotion the character feels into the mind and heart of the reader. A feat not easily accomplished, but extremely satisfying.
While God-Shaped Hole is not a fast read, it is an intense read. You savor the words. You feel the pain and you revel in the love. For me at least the story was written at a very even pace, allowing me to digest the words that seemed almost poetic.
Walls that were built to withstand a hurricane from the hurt, pain and sorrow play a large part in this story. Family and the destruction of the wholesome American values also play a leading role. But, more so it’s how Jacob and Beatrice face the obstacles that were thrown at them at a very young age.
“We’re all searching for something to fill up what I like to call that big, God-shaped hole in our souls. Some people use alcohol, or sex, or their children, or food, or money, or music, or heroin. A lot of people even use the concept of God itself. I could go on and on. I used to know a girl who used shoes. She had over two-hundred pairs. But it’s all the same thing, really. People, for some stupid reason, think they can escape their sorrows.”
This isn’t the kind of book that has you hanging on the edge of your seat, dying to know what happens next when you have to put the book aside to tend to real life. It’s the kind of story that embeds itself so deeply into your mind, that thoughts of what happens next, linger very gently, making you pause your daily tasks.
I found this story entrancing. The characters, their thoughts and actions, had me stop, pause and think. I became embedded in their lives and it almost felt like I hiding in the dark, listening in and watching the story play out in real-time.
A beautifully written story of one man, one girl, the families whose actions formed them into the adults they have become and how they perceive the past.
“It seemed cruelly unfair to me, even then, how fast your life can change before you have an opportunity to rethink your choices. We should get second chances on the big stuff. We should come equipped with erasers attached to the tops of our heads. Like pencils. We should be able to flip over and scribble away mistakes, at least once or twice during the duration of our existence, especially in matters of life and death.”
I truly understand the meaning of God-Shaped Hole having read this story. For it happened to me, within the pages of the book. I don’t think it’s possible that the hole will close, for the characters will live within me forever.
She is the Founder and CEO of SF Bay Area record label Bright Antenna Records featuring such artist as The Wombats, Mona, Flagship, Beware of Darkness, Middle Class Rut, Reuben Hollebon, and Cheerleader.
Tiffanie lives in Marin with her two dogs Dizzy and Dipsea and her husband Scott Schumaker.
She was born in Youngstown, OH and went to Villa Maria High School in Villa Maria, Pennsylvania before studying Philosophy at University of California, Berkeley, California. She has two sisters: Lisa DeBartolo & Nikki DeBartolo
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