Coming Home

by David Lewis

I've decided that I need to start a label for Christian books. It seems that about half of what I read these days is Christian fiction, and while that may not be for everyone, I thought that maybe for some, that would be what they would prefer. So over the next few days I'll be getting that label up and in the sidebar.

But to the book. David Lewis happens to be the husband of author Beverly Lewis, whose books I've also enjoyed reading. This was his first solo novel, and judging on my reaction to it, I bet it won't be his last.

Our main character is Jessie, a 24 year old woman about to embark on her dream to move to the state of Oregon. Her boyfriend is supposed to move with her, and the eve of their move, he decides instead to break up with her, citing her mental health as the reason for the split. He has a point. As the story continues we find that Jessica is a young woman with a past that she doesn't want to remember, and in her attempt to repress those memories, she's also lost her happy memories. Jessie decides to head to Oregon on her own, and along the way takes a detour- the road less traveled, and heads to her old hometown, which is full of haunted memories for her. Before she realizes what she's doing, she's sitting in her car in front of her estranged grandmother's house, where her grandmother is hiding a few secrets of her own.

This was a strange book at first. I was drawn into Jessica's life easily enough, but the strange dreams and flashbacks were almost disconcerting at times. The introduction of her childhood friend, Andy was a welcome diversion from her strange musings for a time. I really enjoyed his perspective on Jessie and her life. With Andy's help, Jessica decides to find out the truth of her past, and tries to get rid of the ghosts that haunt her dreams. Scattered throughout the story is also Jessie and Andy's lost faith. They both grew up in Christian homes, but have lost their faith upon reaching adulthood, and both of them wonder if there really is a God. The spiritual journey of both of these people was very realistic, and very well-written. It was very, very believable.

I enjoyed this book a lot, it really had some teeth to it, and a whole lot of heart. What I didn't enjoy so much was the end. It wrapped up much too quickly and really felt a little contrived at the very end. Still, it was a sound ending and I was happy for it, I just wanted more to it.