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Summary
Summary
Why are we here? What is love? Is there a loch ness monster? Does God send text messages?
These are the kinds of questions Horatio Cotton, aka Bobby, asks in New York Times bestseller Rick Springfield's debut novel, Magnificent Vibration .
After stealing a mysterious self-help book called Magnificent Vibration: Discover Your True Purpose from a bookstore, Bobby calls the 1-800 number scrawled inside the front cover, only to discover that he has a direct line to God. This launches Bobby on an unlikely quest, serendipitously accompanied by a breathtakingly sexy and exceedingly sharp travel companion named Alice. Together the pair sets out to find some combination of spiritual and carnal salvation-and possibly save the planet.
By turns hilarious, poignant, over-the-top, and deeply meaningful, Magnificent Vibration is a highly original novel about the biggest questions one man-or mankind-has ever asked.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
On the verge of committing suicide, Horatio Cotton finds God's phone number in a self-help book entitled Magnificent Vibration and proceeds to call the "S.O.B." (Supreme Omnipotent Being). The decision sends him on an adventure that involves him confronting his boss, getting over his extremely unfaithful ex-wife, meeting the Loch Ness monster, falling in love, and deciding whether or not to destroy mankind. Springfield does an excellent job with narrating in a distinct voice that isn't perfectly clear, but that fits well with the book's overall tone. He provides rich singular voices for his main characters and a great narrative voice that keeps listeners engaged throughout this comedic tale. On rare occasions, sound effects add color the story (a phone ringing and a contorted voice of God on the phone), but these scarce occasions seem out of place with the rest of the production. A Touchstone hardcover. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Rock star and soap actorturned-author Springfield (Late, Late at Night, 2010) debuts with fiction best classified as black comedy. This novel is remarkably creative, for no other reason than Springfield boggles with countless euphemisms for male reproductive organs, masturbation and the act of sexual procreation. Sex, comedy and metaphysics pose a conundrum: Who listens when God speaks? Bobby Cotton for onehapless nerd, Los Angeles sound editor, recently divorced cuckold. Next it's Alice Young, reluctant religious novitiate, and, finally, Lexington Vargas, prominent Mexican doctor's son and now redeemed gangster. Bobby's life has been an "obsession with the female species and the whole, odd tie to organized religion." Shuttled aside by quarreling parents, Bobby deeply loved his sister, lost first to mental illness and then cancer, the narrative element most emotionally affecting. Fumbling about after his divorce, Bobby steals a self-help book called Magnificent Vibration. Inside is a penciled note: "1-800-Call-God." Bobby dials and becomes convinced he's speaking to God, who in fact prefers to be called Omnipotent Supreme Being but will settle for Arthur. OSB has "a rather incongruous and off-putting sense of humor," which means Bobby complies when told to get a cup of coffee. There, he meets Alice and then Lexington. Both have a copy of the book, and inside each copy is the same telephone number. While Lexington seems flat and present mainly as a plot catalyst, Springfield can write believable characters, his best being Bobby and Alice. The narrative bounces from the present to Bobby's examination of his life and then to conversations with God, who is upset with war and pollution in the universe, all ending in Scotland with Alice, the reluctant nun. Springfield delivers a buckle-your-seat-belts ride, referencing the Loch Ness monster, superheroes, schlock films, Christian fundamentalism, sexual repression, the Pacific garbage patch and existentialist fatalism. A readable comic meditation on human frailty.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Horatio Cotton has been questioning a lot of things lately. After finding out that his wife has been cheating on him with not one, not two, but a veritable Rolodex of strangers, Horatio steals a self-help book to figure out how to rebuild his life. He doesn't expect the 1-800 number scrawled on the inside front cover to be God's personal line, and he certainly doesn't expect to meet up with two other people who have purchased the same book, with the same phone number and the same results. This seemingly benign book was obviously meant to bring Horatio, Alice, and Lexington together, and they set out on a journey that just might answer all of their questions . . . and then some. Musician Springfield, no stranger to the literary world after penning his highly-touted memoir, Late, Late at Night (2010), branches into fiction with this novel. With shades of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) and the clever, self-deprecating wit of Augusten Burroughs and Max Barry, Springfield's highly original work is the rare antidote to the celebrity ghostwritten books often found on today's best-seller lists. Captivating, poignant, and hilarious, Magnificent Vibration proves that some of the most interesting stories can come from pretty unlikely places.--Turza, Stephanie Copyright 2014 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Feeling desperate after his marriage fails and his job turns toxic, Bobby steals a self-help book called Magnificent Vibration: Discover Your True Purpose and phones the number written inside the cover: 1-800-CALL GOD. Shortly after speaking with God, who prefers being called Omnipotent Supreme Being or Arthur, Bobby meets Alice, a questioning nun, and street-savvy Lexington, who also have copies of the book. Thus begins a strange quest that takes the trio to Scotland, where they look for the Loch Ness Monster and have a chance to save the world. This novel, while at times creative and clever, mostly features over-the-top descriptions and bizarre plot twists that feel contorted. Bobby's preoccupation with the male sex organ and with sex in general dominates the book and obscures the more important question of God's intervention in world events. Musician and soap opera actor Springfield (Late, Late at Night) narrates in a clear, convincing voice, bringing Bobby to life. VERDICT Not for every taste, this book will appeal mainly to Springfield fans and listeners seeking a humorous look at religion and the supernatural, along with environmental concerns, sexual repression, and Christian fundamentalism.-Nancy R. Ives, SUNY Geneseo (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
