The writing is easy and the story is interesting but it definitely drags. I was initially captured with the prologue but then everything just seemed to drag on.

As someone who is not religious and was not raised religious, I was uncertain going into this as to whether it would resonate with me. But this was well done, and I'm glad I took the risk.

Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife is a touching and engaging story about family and identity. Eli becomes famous for supposedly visiting Heaven when he was 4 while having heart surgery. His father is a lifelong believer and now a pastor. Eli is sought after by a large figure in the evangelical church, which puts their family on a unique trajectory.

We see Eli as a child and adult, struggling with his identity. He's gay, overweight, and doesn't feel like he belongs. Eli and his family were such well drawn characters. You don't always agree with their actions, but you understand them. I loved Eli's journey and seeing how his relationships with his family changed over time.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel that navigates the complexities of identity, faith, and the intersection between spirituality and personal truth. The story revolves around a young boy who, despite growing up in a devoutly religious family led by a minister father, grapples with his own identity as a gay individual while believing he has seen a glimpse of heaven during surgery. The author skillfully delves into the tensions within the family dynamics, portraying the challenges faced by the boy as he attempts to reconcile his sexuality with the teachings of his faith. The novel takes a surreal twist when a televangelist seizes upon the protagonist's near-death experience as a means to promote a biblical amusement park. This storyline adds a layer of social commentary, highlighting the commercialization and manipulation of spiritual experiences for personal gain. While the novel touches on serious themes, it also weaves moments of hope, resilience, and the power of personal conviction. With its compelling narrative and well-drawn characters, Eli Harpo's Adventure is a captivating journey that lingers in the hearts and minds of its readers.

I really enjoyed this one, and I think Schlich has done something very unique and clever. As a queer person who was raised with christian religion, I saw a lot of my struggles of faith reflected in Eli's story, which was very special as a reader.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.. Did I mention how much I love this one? I could not put it down. It is a funny and yet very tender story. I can't wait to discuss this book with friends.

Funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at once. Eli was a character I wanted to stick with long after the story ended. This is a great pick for fans of The Righteous Gemstones.

In our increasingly polarized world, Eric Schlich has done something pretty rare, he's written a deeply human book about Americans struggling with Evangelical Christianity and sexuality. Better yet, he's managed to make it heartwarming and funny while still driving home the clear message that all people deserve respect and love and care. If you are a queer person with religious trauma or just love a good amusement park story, this book is for you. If you are an Evangelical Christian, I hope this book finds its way to you too. The novel respects faith and takes it seriously enough to struggle with its manifestations on earth. At a time in American culture where we treat basic respect like a zero sum game, Schlich has written the book I most want to gift as a breath of fresh air.

Loved this. what a great and brain-tingling work. Fun, HUGE hearted, and joyful, this is Highly recommended

Review-Eli Harpo’s Adventure to the Afterlife

This eminently readable book explores the adventures of Eli Harpo, a man who, as a child, “died” on the operating table and visited Heaven. After his recovery, his father wrote a book about the experience, and used Eli’s vision in his own Christian ministry. Later, the family is targeted by a prominent televangelist who tries to co-opt Eli’s story to benefit his own business empire.

Told in two timelines, one from adult Eli’s point of view, and the other as a flashback to Eli’s adolescence, when, like many teenagers, he began to question what was true about the world, the story brings together many diverse topics: death of a parent; the reliability of memory; queer identity; televangelism, the intersection of religion and money, to name just a few. At the center of all of these conflicts, though, is Eli, an overweight thirteen-year-old boy who struggles to make sense of his very confusing place in the world.

I have read a number of the "kid went to heaven books" that have been published over the years and often thought that the parent (usually the father) who wrote the book and interpreted their child's story might be making things up. . It seems that many of these children (why are they always boys?) are being used and manipulated by their parents, either to save souls, make money or both. "Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife" shows how those parents might actually be abusing their children with this kind of story.

Eli Harpo, whose name is similar to Colton Burpo -- whose (father's ) book "Heaven is for Real" was a best-seller for a time -- is faces with an existential problem. The story that his father Simon -- who has a Youtube channel to preach called "Simon Sez" -- wants Eli to continue to tell is just not true. He has no memory of going to heaven and doctor's told Eli's mother that his heart did NOT stop during the operation. But Eli's mom has cancer and wants Eli and his brothers to go to college and have a good life. Simon wants to use Eli's story to make money and become a famous preacher. What is a good, Christian, boy DO? As Eli is becoming aware of his sexuality and struggles with honesty around his story, pressure to perform increases and truly does harm to Eli.

This book is well written satire and becomes heart-driven as Eli discovers who he really is and what really makes him happy.

Eli is four and has open heart surgery.
He dies (doe he?) and then comes back from Heaven to tell the story with his father's encouragement.
But... did it really happen as he has been told and recalls?
This is not only about life and after; but growing up in a family that will not allow different.
Eli has no idea how to explain to his father that his love will not be accepted nor tolerated after all these years.
Is this what Jesus would say?
You decide.
I enjoyed this interesting, heartwarming story of family, differences and love.
Thank you to @Netgalley and to @Abrams, The Overlook Press for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
Well done!

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Eli Harpo was only three years old when he had open heart surgery. After many conversations with his father, it comes to light that he may have flatlined and visited heaven while on the operating table.

Using his son’s miraculous meeting Jesus story, Eli’s father writes a book detailing his son's experiences. With Eli’s story slowly gaining traction, Charlie Gideon, the famous televangelist, suddenly appears on their doorstep, hoping to create a Bible theme park based on Eli’s trip to heaven.

As the family packs their bags and heads across the country, Eli suddenly faces questionable truths and stunning realizations about his family and himself.

Such a unique plot. I enjoyed the humor peppered throughout this novel and the uncomfortable moments Eli faced throughout his childhood. Each character managed to bring out different sides of Eli, which made reading this novel a stimulating experience as you thought you could always predict his next move. I don’t even need to mention how the author played with the family’s emotions. It was genuinely poetic and believable in each moment.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
As a non-churchgoer who grew up in a very religious family, I found this book to be pretty accurate, funny, and heartwarming all at the same time. It came across as true to life and Eli, as the main character, is impossible not to love as he comes of age with the additional hurdles of going to Heaven at age 4 and losing his mother to cancer.

In ‘Eli Harpo’s Adventure to the Afterlife,’ titular character Eli Harpo struggles to come to terms with the fame he garnered in childhood as a disgraced Christian celebrity. Now an adult with a husband and child of his own, Eli finds himself the subject of his husband’s documentary. As a child, Eli became famous for visiting Heaven during emergency heart surgery when he was four years old. Throughout the book, we learn more about Eli’s journey to fame, his relationships with his religious family members, including his terminally ill mother, and his discomfort with the Heaven story he’s pushed to tell over and over.

Ultimately, this is a story about coming to terms with religion, family, and one’s own self. The writing is beautiful, the narrative nuanced, and the plot different and interesting. I enjoyed the glimpses into Eli’s childhood, especially the predatory characterization of televangelist Charlie Gideon. I highly recommend this book!

The way Baptist culture is represented in this novel is spot on, and this is coming from someone who was brought up Baptist since birth and left the church in my late teens. The book started promising, but then the second half dragged a bit. Eli's actions were outlandish, and I expected the episode in the throne room to be worse than it was the way it was built up beforehand. The end was underwhelming, and I felt it took too long to get there. Debbie, however, was an absolute delight! I recommend this to anyone who grew up religious and anyone who's curious what it's like.

There are so many schmaltzy, syrupy stories of people (particularly adorable little urchins) who visit heaven and see unicorns and rainbows. This one imagines the story of what it might be like to be one of those little urchins, growing up to be a less adorable teenager. I enjoyed this quite a bit, particularly the characterization of the very practical mother who just wants her boys taken care of.