Fiction Book Review: My Soul to Keep

Photo courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography, Free Digital Photos

My Soul to Keep, by T. Davis Bunn is different and gratifying. Davis Bunn is well-known for writing adventure stories in exotic places, but this time, he stays home and investigates Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

Brent Stark is a has-been movie star who’s recently gotten out of prison. The story begins with an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, a pastor, and Brent’s car wreck that nearly ended two lives. (It did end their professional lives.)

Liz Courtney is a mover and shaker, a widow “fanatic about her church, her family, her bank, her town, the local theater, and her friends.” Liz helps bankroll Brent’s new landscaping business, and they become friends.

Stanley, a pastor, had embezzled church funds to feed his gambling habit. He served time in prison, and now he leads the local AA program. He’s compassionate—after all, he’s been there.

Brent plays small parts in plays from time to time, staying out of the limelight, but earning critical acclaim. He still loves acting, especially the audiences.

Celia Breach was in that car crash with Brent, and now, she’s a has-been actor, too. A scar “snaked down from her hairline,” marring her once perfect face. She’s depressed, angry, and withdrawn.

Soon, a Nashville firm contacts Brent asking him to direct a film about Daniel Boone.

Hollywood is working on its own version of Daniel Boone, one that “corrects history” and makes Boone out to be a scoundrel instead of a hero.

Hollywood has its own ways of controlling the media, others’ lives, and the competition. It raises up and pulls down, and it doesn’t care who gets trampled—or targeted—in its path.

I don’t want to be a spoiler, so I’ll stop here.

My Soul to Keep is about relationships and honor. This is a story of faith, pulling together, volunteering, and redemption. It’s about Christian values and godly reactions. Add to that two later-in-life romances, and it’s a very enjoyable read.

Davis Bunn doesn’t disappoint. His writing is excellent and well researched. (I’m tempted to letter and frame some of his sentences; they’re that good!)

I loved it! Five stars, for sure.