It
took a while for the story to grab me but about a third of the way
into the book, I was hooked. This is an emotionally packed novel.
Nelson's writing style is such that I felt the turmoil and pain of
each of the four main characters, such as the “perfect” Christian
mother devastated by her unwed teen daughter's pregnancy.
There
are many issues covered in this book, including destroyed dreams,
teen pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage, adoption, estranged family
members, marital discord, and tragic death. All of that in one novel
may seem overwhelming. Yet Nelson pulls it off, weaving together all
of those issues as the novel progresses. I was amazed at how Nelson
developed the plot to include healing in all of those areas through
God's grace and peoples' love. And there was a surprise at the end I
did not see coming but made perfect sense, even though it was
emotionally hard to accept.
I
highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy emotionally packed
character driven stories. I feel I must offer a caution, however. I
have never experienced any of the issues included in the book first
hand and yet the novel had a great emotional effect on me. I can't
imagine how a reader who has experienced a failed adoption or a teen
pregnancy or any of the other issues included would be impacted by
this novel. I think you would find healing in these pages but first
your heart might hurt deeply.
You
can read an excerpt here.
My
rating: 5/5 stars.
Christina
Suzann Nelson is a member of Oregon Christian Writers and ACFW. Her
essays have been published in the Cup of Comfort series. Her first
novel is If
We Make It Home.
She lives in Oregon's Willamette Valley with her husband and four
children.
Kregel
Publications, 288 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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