Rooms: A Novel by James L. Rubart

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. 

Praised as an alternative to the New Age Jesus presented in The Shack by W.P. Young, Rooms gives us another perspective of the relationship with the Divine. 
Our main character, Micah Taylor, has inherited a mysterious house built just for him on the Oregon coast. The announcement comes posthumously in the form of a letter from his long deceased great uncle Archie, that he barely remembers. Micah is presented as a self-made man with personal assets in the multi-millions, in the limelight, admired, respected, and sought after for his elite cutting edge software. After a begrudged conversation with his father, Micah decides to visit his new asset and quickly sell it. Upon his first visit, he finds a 9000 sq/ft ocean view mansion that takes his breath away, and puts off turning the property over to a Realtor for dissolution. Immediately, strange events begin to happen in the house that at first glance would be considered an extreme haunting. So strange that Micah seeks out local help for answers, and by chance meets Rick, a man with uncommon wisdom and a friendly disposition.

Other characters assemble and join with the house in attacking Micah's sanity and life choices. Rooms then begins to present an image of God, Jesus, and His Spirit based on relationship instead of religion. The next view of this relationship displays the Creator as one that allows us to suffer the consequences of our bad decisions. One theme religiously driven home was the parable of "The Pearl of Great Price" admonishing Micah to give up all to purchase a better life, or face rejection from the relationship with God he so desperately seeks. This theme seemed to ignore the fact that no worldly possession, no matter how vast can purchase the free gift of that relationship. The intention of the parable was to show how a Savior gave up his heavenly estate to purchase us, His pearl of great price. 
Finally, Rooms will make the reader think and is highly recommended as well written, heart felt, Christian fiction. (*****)