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In today's inspirational fiction, family holds the key
REVIEWS BY KATIE LEWIS Our families profoundly affect our lives. Home is the first place we learn how to smile, figure out who to blame for a broken lamp and discover what it means to love and be loved. Inspirational fiction combines a need for divine help with the security of familial love, and several new books in the genre put their focus on the family as the foundation for hope.
Jennifer must forget her philandering ex-husband; work alongside Fairlawn's current resident, Gerald; avoid fighting with her mother; and dodge small-town gossip, all while suddenly burdened with running a funeral home. Hunt, who is perhaps best known for writing the popular Heavenly Daze series with Lori Copeland, juxtaposes life and death to serve as a point of reflection for her characters, but also to pay homage to the mortician ministry and its effect on loved ones left behind.
By Angela Hunt Tyndale, $13.99 350 pages ISBN 9781414311692
When innkeepers Jack and Laurel Conner pass away in each others' arms on the same night, their three children reunite to mourn. The siblings' own issues are pushed aside after they discover boxes of "Wednesday Letters," which Jack wrote to his wife every week of their 39-year marriage. The letters are comforting until a shocking secret is unearthed. As the town gathers to mourn the beloved couple, their youngest son Malcolm struggles to cope with losing his parents in light of the discovery. In The Wednesday Letters journalist and author Jason F. Wright tenderly demonstrates just how far love and forgiveness can take two people. Samantha, Matthew and Malcolm are moved by the power of devotion so evident in their parents' lives, and the letters serve to influence their choices and strengthen their hearts.
By Jason F. Wright Shadow Mountain, $19.95 304 pages ISBN 9781590388129
By Karen Kingsbury Center Street, $14.99 352 pages ISBN 9781599956770
Otto Ringling narrates Breakfast with Buddha, the latest offering from Roland Merullo (Golfing with God), with a side order of scrambled skepticism. And why shouldn't he? He's on a cross-country road trip with a cryptic robe-wearing monk. Otto was suckered into taking his sister's guru along for the ride from New Jersey to his parents' North Dakota farm, and Rinpoche isn't making it any easier. The peaceful stranger is short on words but big on riddles, and Otto progresses from frustration with his enigmatic companion to amusement at the man's ability to find joy in small things to a quiet admiration for the spiritual leader everyone seems to revere. Somewhere between bowling and yoga class, Rinpoche teaches Otto to examine himself, and readers will be rooting for the success of this unlikely pair. Merullo's clear writing ensures that readers will master Rinpoche's sometimes cryptic reflections as well.
By Roland Merullo Algonquin, $23.95 320 pages ISBN 9781565125520
Suzy Fisher's death spurs a life-altering series of events in the Pennsylvania Amish community. She drowned when rowing with a group of Englischers, and her unbaptized "wayward ways" mean she has surely been kept out of heaven. Nellie Mae's grief for her sister is overwhelming. Some individuals in the community are becoming interested in modern leisures, and their desires to own tractors and embrace salvation lead to excommunication. On the eve of a great schism in the church, Caleb Yoder begins secretly courting Nellie Mae. The two struggle to stay together as their families are divided. The Parting is the winning inaugural installment of a three-book series exploring young emotion, family life and a contentious rebirth. Beverly Lewis' extensive research supports a vivid story.
By Beverly Lewis Bethany House, $13.99 352 pages ISBN 9780764203107
Set in the late 19th century, The Prayer Chest by August Gold and Joel Fontinos is a story of fate, spirituality and mystery. The men in the Hutchinson family have a curse hanging over their heads that takes their lives at a young age. Joseph Hutchinson tries to outwit the curse, but his bargaining leads to his wife's death. He mourns by distancing himself from his two young children, Daniel and Mary, and his grief is compounded when he learns he's about to lose his farm. Desperate and angry, Joseph retreats to the attic, where he discovers a gift that profoundly touches lives: a wooden box that carries the message "Bring your prayers to the Prayer Chest, my son, and all that you ask shall be answered one by one," and a book of instructions, written by a Hutchinson ancestor. The characters soon understand that the magic of the chest comes from within. But can a man who's forgotten how to trust have faith that the Prayer Chest will save his family? With their livelihood and hearts on the line, Joseph, Mary and Daniel strive to embrace the power of their discovery and pray for miracles.
By August Gold and Joel Fontinos Doubleday, $15.95 192 pages ISBN 9780385520232
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Angela Hunt's Doesn't She Look Natural? is the first of three novels in a planned series. When Jennifer Graham inherits a historic Victorian home in Mt. Dora, Florida, the newly divorced mother of two hopes that this is the answer to her financial troubles. She plans to sell the house and use the money to move herself and her boys out of her mother's home, where she fears they are overstaying their welcome. Upon arriving at Fairlawn Home, however, she discovers that much work is needed before the house is ready for the cutthroat real estate market . . . and that, in addition to being a home, it's also a funeral parlor.
Surviving loss
Just Beyond the Clouds is a glimpse of love from different angles. More than anything else, widower Cody Gunner mourns his late wife Ali and loves his brother Carl Joseph, who has Down syndrome. When he takes time off work to visit his family, Cody discovers that Carl Joseph isn't quite the same: He knows the bus schedules, has table manners and is learning "life skills" at the local Independent Learning Center. Troubled by his brother's joyous conviction that he'll soon be living on his own, Cody confronts the clinic's director, Elle Dalton. The overly protective older brother advocates for Carl Joseph's removal from the clinic, but Elle's faith in her students and their development—as well as her beauty—does not go unnoticed by Cody, who feels disloyal to Ali. Karen Kingsbury is a prolific and best-selling author in the Christian fiction world, and her simple, romantic stories keep readers coming back for more.
A spiritual leader
Life and love among the Amish
All they need is a miracle