Match BookImaginary Jesus
Matt Mikalatos
2010 · 225 pages · Narrative nonfiction
How it reads
Imaginary Jesus is narrative nonfiction (spiritual memoir, specifically), and its dominant mood is funny. The humour is the point, not garnish. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.
It's set in several locations, in the present day, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are faith, identity and redemption. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.
It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 225 pages it's a quick read. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.
Pick it up if…
- you're in the mood for something funny
- you want a complete story in one book
- you want to be sure it ends well
Maybe not if…
- you need something melancholy, dark or tense
All 15 dimensions
- Genre
- narrative nonfiction
- Author gender
- male
- Author experience
- established
- Setting: place
- multiple locations
- Setting: time
- contemporary
- Mood / feeling
- funny
- Pace
- moderate
- Tone / weight
- balanced
- Length
- short
- Narrative style
- first person, one narrator
- Publication era
- recent
- Popularity
- moderately known
- Series vs standalone
- standalone
- Themes
- faith, identity, redemption
- Ending style
- resolved and happy
What these mean: the 15 dimensions of a book.
Books with a similar reading
The closest books in Match Book's catalogue across the same dimensions, and what they share.
- The Descent of ManGrayson PerryShares: narrative nonfiction, funny mood, balanced tone, moderate pace
- Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional NeglectJonice WebbShares: narrative nonfiction, balanced tone, moderate pace, resolved and happy ending
When You Are Engulfed in FlamesDavid SedarisShares: narrative nonfiction, funny mood, balanced tone, moderate pace- The Culture Code: An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around the World Live and Buy as They DoClotaire RapailleShares: narrative nonfiction, funny mood, balanced tone, moderate pace
- The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight BiasDolly ChughShares: narrative nonfiction, balanced tone, moderate pace, resolved and happy ending
- Broken (In the Best Possible Way)Jenny LawsonShares: funny mood, balanced tone, moderate pace, resolved and happy ending
Appears in
Find a copy
Reviews on Goodreads ↗Match Book earns a commission on purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Match Book earns from qualifying purchases.