Vision by Hope Bolinger is the third novel in her trilogy starting with Blaze and continuing with Den. Both books had similar stories of a young-adult group of friends trying to stay true to their beliefs and ideals. Vision wraps up the trilogy.
Reviewing a trilogy with an ongoing main narrative is difficult without reading all three. While any of the books could be read without the other two, the most satisfying experience is to finish the trilogy and evaluate the set. As such, I’ll review Vision on its own and then provide some thoughts on how the three work together.
Without spoiling Den, Danny Belte, our main character, is assumed to be suicidal and lands in a psychiatric ward. Danny isn’t suicidal, but still ends up with a number of teenagers—mostly his age—who are living with mental illnesses. Danny quickly figures out the ward is run in an atypical manner. Think One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Over time, privileges and rights are slowly taken away from the patients. It culminates in a scheme to discredit anything Danny says or remembers, and what he remembers may just be the thing that will allow him to go free.
Ms. Bolinger has twice before built a hostile environment for her Christian main characters to survive and (in fact) thrive. This trilogy aims to mirror the book of Daniel, and at the same time, is aware of the Bible. While the novel contains some action sequences, Vision is more of a contemporary thriller between the powerless and the establishment. Some reveals happen near the end, but the joy of making it through the book is watching Danny confront the challenges others place in his way.
Does it work? In Vision, an environment of gross neglect stretches the boundary of believability, but the book takes pains to point this out. Furthermore, taken as an allegory, it succeeds on all levels. Certainly, the book knows its Lemony Snicket, as Danny’s ward is truly a Hostile Hospital. And just when you think this is a touchy-feely, lighthearted Christian novel, the author goes dark. I’ll remember this book the next time I play billiards.
Given the premise of the book, the reader unfortunately doesn’t spend much time with friends from books one and two, especially one whose name starts with “H.” But we meet an entirely new set of companions who fill the gap left by Dan’s friends. And a few minor characters from the last book reappear here as well. I also enjoyed the novel’s different take on a hero, one who saves others not by being a superhero, but by doing the right thing. This, in my opinion, makes Danny unique.
The trilogy is now complete and I found it interesting that the epilogue has three parts. To me, each part matches a certain book with the last epilogue matching Vision. It’s a gutsy move to change the setting in the last book when you have a good thing going, but it works here (as it did for J. K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series). Overall, all three novels make for a good thriller, each with something unique on its mind. While I’m not a fan of cliffhangers at the end of novels, now that all three are published, it’s less of an issue. The reader can start on the next one right away.
Vision is a well-plotted and distinct novel in the contemporary genre. It shines a light on abuse, how we view ourselves, and how important faith is in our journey through life. Vision is a conclusion worthy of the other two novels and a fascinating book on its own.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1645262936
Links to the other two reviews: Review of Blaze and Review of Den