People spend a lifetime trying to imagine what heaven is like. For Colton Burpo, there’s no more imagining. Heaven is for Real, by Todd Burpo, with Lynn Vincent, details Colton’s story of how he went to heaven and came back in an enchanting and moving story. After suffering from appendicitis, Colton was on the brink of death, and needed an emergency appendectomy. This is where three year-old Colton claims he visited heaven. Bring on the skeptics. The truth is that if people are finding it hard to believe in this thing called heaven, this book just might give people a real reason to believe.
What makes a great story? Well, part of it is a great plot. Heaven is for Real tries to create somewhat of a balanced plot, but it occasionally leaves readers scatterbrained and confused as to how old Colton Burpo is at a certain point in the story. This is a shorter book, but since it takes place over a numerous years, it can get a tad confusing as to what year it’s in. When Todd Burpo describes how he broke his leg, had a kidney stone, and almost had breast cancer, it leaves readers wondering when all of this took place, and how far apart those events occurred. Although the story is a little here-and-there occasionally, the plot really is quite intriguing, and somewhat suspenseful. Everyone already knows that Colton Burpo lives, but when he is getting his surgery, it’s pretty intense and suspenseful. On page 40, Burpo writes, “That’s when it hit me. We waited too long. I might never see my son alive again.” Not only does this book create a bit of suspense, but it’s also pretty sad. As a reader, you can’t help but feel bad for the Burpo family. Overall, the plot is fairly balanced, but it does leave readers a little bit confused at some spots. That would be the only negative about the plot, because the rest of it is just plain inspirational.
One of the most important aspects to Heaven is for Real is the characters that readers are introduced to. This is no fiction novel with made-up characters—these are real people, real stories, real inspiration. Because this a non-fiction story, it’s not expected for all of the characters to be fully developed, and this novel fits that expectation. Multiple characters are introduced, from Todd’s relatives, like Steve and his family, to his own family—himself, Sonja, Cassie, Colton, and later, Colby. Most characters in Heaven is for Real don’t play a huge role in the main theme of the book, aside from Colton’s family. The descriptions given for different people were all unique and they added to the magic of the story. For Colton, the description was fun, and young, fitting him to a tee. One scene from the beginning is when the Burpo family is visiting a butterfly pavilion, and Colton is afraid to hold a tarantula. Todd Burpo writes, “At that age, Colton has this precious way of talking, part-serious, part-breathless, golly gee wonder.” Now, Todd Burpo is no classic-literature writer, but he deserves some credit: he does a nice job with developing main characters. While some of the others could use a little beef in their descriptions, most are done nicely and it makes the story quite enjoyable.
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| The Burpo Family: (from left) Colton, Sonja, Cassie, Todd, and Colby |
As mentioned before, Todd Burpo is no William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens, but his writing is unique, no matter his experience with writing. There are numerous times throughout this story where you can hear his voice peep through the pages of the book. One example of this is on page 35, where Burpo is describing his wife’s miscarriage. He takes something that should be sad and glum, and adds a playful twist onto it. He says, “Then two months into the pregnancy, Sonja lost the baby, and our misty-edged dreams popped like soap bubbles.” That’s a sad subject, but saying his dreams were soap bubbles that popped takes a bit away from the sadness. Though Burpo may not have much writing experience, it’s certainly not noticeable.
The main part of Heaven is for Real that also happens to be the controversial part is Colton Burpo’s story of his trip to heaven. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so this major theme could possibly make or break this book for someone. Everyone has different beliefs. With that being said, whether people believe in God and heaven or not, this book is inspiring. From Colton’s descriptions of what he saw when first got into heaven to him asking his mom about her miscarriage, which Todd and Sonja had never told Colton about, it’s downright inspirational. This book has been on the New York Times Best Sellers List for numerous weeks now, which means it is clearly is speaking to people. In an interview done with the Wauneta Breeze, a newspaper in Nebraska, Todd Burpo said, “I didn’t feel comfortable writing a book and it was hard for us to think people would want to read it.” Though Todd had reservations about the story, it turned out to be a big success from the fact that people want to believe this. The themes presented in Heaven is for Real make it great.
As much as it might seem like a fiction novel to certain people, Heaven is for Real is far from that. It’s a real-life, real inspirational story that attracts crowds of people. Sure, it could have been written better—it’s no literary work of art by any means. The plot, characters, and writing style are all mediocre, but pretty good. It’s the themes of this novel that really makes it great. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 because it’s enjoyable, relatable, and inspirational. Not everyone believes in heaven or God, and that’s okay. However, after reading this book, those people just might have a pretty convincing reason to believe.
** If you would like to visit the Heaven is for Real website, click here
** If you would like to watch Colton on the Today Show, click here
** If you would like to visit the Heaven is for Real website, click here
** If you would like to watch Colton on the Today Show, click here
