"The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven" Review

“The boy who came back from heaven” (July 1, 2010) is a nonfiction book by Kevin and Alex Malarkey. In 2004, on returning home from church and a quick jaunt in the park, Kevin and Alex (age six at the time) were in a horrific car accident. There was the piercing sound of metal ripping metal and then silence.

            Kevin was thrown from the car that day, though Alex asserts that angels carried him from the car, which is why he remained mostly unscathed. Meanwhile, Alex lay motionless in the back. An x-ray showed (the x-ray photo is in the book, along with other photos of Alex, his family, etc.) that his skull had completely detached from his spinal cord; he had been internally decapitated. It eventually healed itself, but it was through no medical procedure. Was it divine intervention? Or the sometimes incredible ability for young kids and their young tissues and muscles and cells and bones to heal amazingly well?

            Alex was in a coma for two months. During this time, there were constant prayers from any number of relatives and friends, from strangers near them and off in other countries. While in the hospital, Alex never went a moment without someone nearby – and probably right in his room – praying for him.

            When Alex awoke, he was met with his new physical challenges, for he could not move from the neck down. He found himself a quadriplegic, but he maintained a bright outlook and normally gave encouragement to others as opposed to them bringing him encouragement. He also found that he had to teach himself to form words out loud again. They were all in his head – and there was so much he wanted to share – but his vocal chords had to be re-trained.

            Alex longed to tell his parents about the time he spent in Heaven being with Jesus, conversing with God and seeing/visiting with angels. He wanted to tell them about demons and how ugly and scary they are. Plus, they are in a constant spiritual war against angels, and demons are always trying to mess with people, which is why “we need Jesus in our hearts to fight the demons.” He even describes the devil as “the ugliest thing imaginable.” It is a very detailed and monstrous description. Have you read it?

            It is up to you to decide if you believe the accounts of Alex, who insists he still visits Heaven from time to time. Alex’s accounts and the details he’s shared are interesting and, I suppose, insightful. On the other hand, you could read the book and declare that the Malarkeys are full of malarkey or presume that Alex has a very creative imagination. Like I said, though, it is up to you to decide if you believe Alex’s accounts or not. What will you believe?

            As impressive as his accounts are, I will express some disappointment in the book. If you’ve read this book, did you notice this as well? The title is “The boy who came back from heaven,” but Alex’s accounts are mostly at the end of the chapters with smatterings of his otherworldly experiences thrown in. At times I felt it was mostly about Kevin’s financial woes, his struggles with his faith, feeling like a failed parent, back to his financial woes, and Alex’s experiences are included sometimes as an afterthought and at the ends of chapters.

            Also, what do you make of this discrepancy? One sentence reads, “Alex knows where his boundaries lie, which subjects he is not to reveal.” On the very next page there is a sentence in the first paragraph, “It can be difficult for him to determine what falls into those limited areas and what he can reveal.” Editing error, perhaps?

            Alex’s bits and the support of many are moving. He has a closeness and connection to God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit/Heaven/angels that we and others only wish that we had. His childlike faith is so strong, it’s palpable. What have you witnessed of childlike faith?

Blog Post Author's Note: Later in the year that I published this post, it came to light that the youth did not go to Heaven. It appears that the story was fabricated in large encouragement by the boy's father. So, the discrepancy I noted in my original post wasn't without merit, as it seems that even Kevin Marlarkey couldn't keep his lies straight. "Marlarkey" indeed!