The God File

Gabriel Black is sentenced to prison for a murder he did not commit.
In a twisted expression of honor, he takes responsibility for the action of a woman he loves and pays with his freedom.
One day in the prison library Gabriel reads about a man with a wonderful family and a successful career who finds that he has been cured of cancer—thus proving, the man says, the existence of God. Gabriel believes a truer test of God’s existence would be to find proof of Him in a disgusting, violent, hopeless corner of the world like prison. Gabriel creates a file where he stores any evidence of the divine he comes across no matter how unseemly.
In brutal, honest language, The God File recounts the dark comedy of one man’s search for meaning.

“In Gabriel Black, Frank Turner Hollon has created a memorable and deeply thoughtful narrator, with stories to tell that both surprise and inspire.”
– Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection (Spring 2002)

“A quest for God while sleeping in the devil’s bed? Gabriel Black is a man who made a choice that cost him his physical freedom for the rest of his life. Charming anger, as beautiful as it is horrific.”
– Powell’s 14 Favorites (May 2002)

“Frank Turner Hollon has done it again…the fundamental faith and humanity of the narrator make the read worthwhile.” – Mobile Press Register

“It’s a fantastic book…Hollon is a talent who bears watching.” – The Birmingham News

“Readers will find much to admire in Hollon’s striking use of narrative voice and in his courageous willingness to take on the biggest questions honestly and unflinchingly. The end result is what we might have hoped for if Raymond Carver had collaborated with Walker Percy – challenging, unsettling, ambitious, oddly beautiful, and well worth your attention.”
– First Draft Magazine

“…compellingly humane, a book by a writer who appears to be maturing with each new work…this short novel is a touching and humane contemplation of the questions we all have, a book made all the more poignant by Hollon’s rough poetry and his belief that the answers to our questions are out there.” – The Anniston Star

“Good writers earn our respect, but the best writers earn our trust…Hollon allows us to take that leap of literary faith.” – Fairhope Courier

“…an outstanding example of the continuing exploration of gritty reality in spiritual fiction.”
– Library Journal

“…riveting…Those who choose to dive in are in for a thought-provoking trip that will probably linger in their minds for some time.” – School Library Journal

“Hollon does the jailhouse blues raw and quirky…a strong portrait of a man of nobility at odds with circumstance.” – Kirkus

Frank Turner Hollon lives in Alabama, with his wife and children. He is the author of numerous novels, including Blood and Circumstance, The Point of Fracture, A Thin Difference, and Life Is a Strange Place, which was released in 2009 as a major motion picture titled, Barry Munday. He has contributed numerous essays to various anthologies.