This Christian fiction novel is a blazing testament to the importance of forgiveness. However, it’s not an easy read and I offer that upfront.
The author herself admits this – she includes a note at the beginning, stating that the book deals with issues of infidelity and abuse, and that she would recommend mothers read it before handing it over to their daughters. I agree with her caution, but that doesn’t keep me from recommending the book. Bad things happen to good people – and we need to know to Whom we can turn for deliverance from it.
Eleanor Templeton was raised on a commune during the late sixties-early seventies. Her parents were very much pillars of their community, well-respected and admired. Her father was the doctor, and he saw to all the needs of the people, from reactions to different drug experiments to childbirth. Eleanor has seen it all, or so she thinks, until the day she discovers that her parents aren’t married and are living a free relationship. It disturbs her to think that if one of her parents were to decide to leave, they would be perfectly free to do so, and the other parent wouldn’t try to make them stay. Her illusions of security are shattered.
Meanwhile, her mother has gotten into some drug experimentation of her own, and during a particularly bad episode, Eleanor’s father approaches her with a new way for them to comfort each other. Not realizing that her father is sexually assaulting her, but believing instead that this is a way for families to show each other their love, she doesn’t think much about it. Later, when she realizes what has been going on, the guilt and the shame overcome her to the point where it completely cripples her life and keeps her from feeling any real depth of emotion at all.
Years go by, and she has a daughter named Jana. Jana is married to a pastor and has been in Africa for a missionary trip for three weeks. When she comes home, bursting with the news that she’s just found out she’s pregnant, her husband is gone. He left her for his secretary and took her money, her jewelry, and everything else she had of value. What she anticipated as a joyous homecoming turned into a nightmare as she has no where to turn, except for to her mother, who, she believes, hates her.
This novel explores the power of forgiveness as we meet Taffy, Jana’s great-aunt, who has had a lot to forgive in her life and has managed to turn her pain over to Christ. Eleanor is eaten alive every day by things she carries with her, but she has never told Jana anything about it, until now. Jana must not only forgive her husband, but the mistress comes to see her and face to face, begs for absolution. Each of these women have been horribly wronged, in ways that it’s not comfortable to read about. But the powerful message is this – we don’t have to approve of the action in order to forgive. To forgive means that we will not carry the pain around with us any longer – we will give it over to the Lord and ask Him to carry it for us.
There were a few doctrinal points I didn’t agree with one hundred percent, but that’s more a discussion for a religious blog than a media review. Overall, I found this book uplifting and edifying, and the triumph over the abuse was glorious. If we must go through trials, and we know we must, let’s face them knowing that there is hope.
(This book was published in 2005 by Bethany House.)
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