Book Review: Scary Close

by Donald Miller

I finished this book in an afternoon. Three hours went by in a jiffy as I was involved in Miller’s story, which truly is a “Scary Close” picture of his recent trials and triumphs in life. The story is engaging, and gains momentum as Miller dives into the story and finds his footing for the telling of it. I found myself nodding along, pondering how things applied to my own life (some applied a little too much!) and generally enjoying the story. To some degree I think we all have our “capes” we wear and hide behind, afraid of truly being seen.

As I said, Miller takes awhile to rev the engine in this book, which is understandable. As a prominent Christian figure, he is headed into deep waters here, and I feel he toes his way in. One can’t fault him for this, but I felt the writing really gained his trademark voice about halfway through. He was able to become more philosophical and introspective about what he was experiencing. This book is not for those who like their leaders on pedestals (which is often part of the problem of them having personal troubles anyway…who can stand to be alone that high up for long?). But for those who have been down a similar road or who admire the courage of getting help, it’s inspirational.

I did find the lack of mention of God and the role of the Holy Spirit in such healing work to be disconcerting, which adds to the lack of that fifth star in my review. Another reviewer noted Miller’s brand of “subtle Christianity” here, but I would have liked to have seen a stronger correlation. For that, I HIGHLY recommend Sheila Walsh’s Loved Back to Life (read my review of it here).

Overall, as I said, this book was a quick and fascinating read. It definitely offers more insight into the person behind the persona of Donald Miller, and is a helpful mirror to look at your own foibles and relationships. That’s always a good thing to do. 

Thanks, Miller, for braving this. The next part of your story should be just as interesting. 

Happy reading!