Tyler Manion is fifty-seven, and outwardly he is wildly successful. He's a top executive with a stellar career, he's raised three successful, well-adjusted children, and his marriage is as strong as ever. But he's also a man dealing with several crises at once: an old injury has come back to haunt his health in terrifying ways, his wife is struggling with her faith and insists that he join her on that journey, and his kids each have their own struggles that threaten to overwhelm them—or even harm them.
Author Jon F. Harmon takes an unhurried and subtle approach in PRISON OF NOW. The Christian themes and investigations are baked into the story, but they're treated as personal character journeys—as opposed to any kind of proselytizing (even at the end, when a dramatic moment could have been an opportunity for a blunter, more obvious approach). This is a story that respects the mystery of existence and acknowledges that faith can never be the same as absolute certainty.
The challenges faced by the characters are given room to breathe on the page, and alternate perspectives are given their due. There's nothing showy in the writing, but each character emerges as their own person while remaining a believable family with a shared history and perspective. The individual challenges facing Tyler (including professional obsolescence, a terrifying prospect for anyone who has defined their life through their work) are allowed to gain traction and weight slowly, which makes their eventual resolution powerful.
A lengthy detour into the past in the middle of the book is a bit disruptive, though. It might have worked better as several recollections scattered throughout, given how this section doesn't deliver enough new information to justify its length. That said, it is as well-written (and thus, entertaining) as the rest of the story. Also, a later reveal involving a minor character doesn't have the impact it's meant to because it lacks the careful buildup of the other plot threads.
But overall, PRISON OF NOW is a gentle and intriguing examination of a modern man seeking to understand existence and protect what he loves. Readers interested in that kind of story should enjoy this one.
Marked by sharp observations and well-rounded characters, Jon F. Harmon's PRISON OF NOW is an absorbing examination of a family dealing with several slow-rolling crises.
~Jeff Somers for IndieReader