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Sunday, October 13, 2013

New Giveaway! Now I'm giving away a copy of In Broken Places by Michele Phoenix (with bonus review!)

About the book:

Shelby's life isn't glamorous, but it is predictable--and that's the way she likes it. A survivor of her father's violence, she has spent a lifetime creating a safe existence devoid of dependence. But her carefully managed world begins to break when, under staggering circumstances, she becomes a single mother to four-year-old Shayla. In a drastic attempt to escape her childhood's influence, Shelby moves to Germany, but she quickly discovers how intimately linked memory and healing are--and how honestly she must scrutinize her past in order to aspire to a richer future. As she juggles a new job, a new culture, a new daughter, and the attention of an enterprising man, Shelby's fresh start becomes a quest for the courage to be not only a survivor, but someone who prevails.

My review: 

This was a unique story and I loved the realism. As a social worker who has worked with dysfunctional families for a quarter of a century, there isn't much I haven't seen. There are so many adults in this world who are still a bit crippled by their past. Instead of responding to love, they run screaming in the other direction. Instead of bonding in normal, healthy relationships, they have a trauma bond with another victim who is usually a sibling. 

I found the book quite deep and a fantastic way to show how God uses the most unlikely situations sometimes to heal people and open them up to genuine love. The catch is we still have to let the person in and keep fear out of the equation. So we have to cling to perfect love, which casts out all fear. 

That said, I don't want to post any spoilers, so I won't give away the plot points. I will say this... I liked how the author went into the past and shared a little bit more of their childhood with each scene. The book was told from the heroine's point of view and never strayed. 

The author used a lot of visceral emotion to describe feelings, which I loved. The author also did a cute job describing her heart and stomach and how they did ice skating moves in response to exciting and new emotions. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is trying to understand the odd responses of people who were abused as children. 

This book doesn't go into sexual abuse or gory details, but it does show the abject fear that children live with who have an angry, unpredictable parent and a passive one who doesn't know what to do to protect the children. It's very insightful and beautifully written. Bravo! I would definitely read other books by this author.

In Broken Places was published by Tyndale House Publishers and released in April 2013.


And now for the question to enter the giveaway... What would you do if you were named in a will as a guardian for a child?


10 comments:

karenk said...

I would honor that request...thanks for the chance to read this novel :)

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

George said...

Please count me in! Thanks

Martha Lawson said...

This book sounds awesome! I would take the child(ren) and raise them to the best of my ability. Thanks for the chance.

mlawson17 at hotmail dot com

JJ said...

I would first discuss it with my husband but I'm sure he would not turn a child away. Thanks.

Unknown said...

It's a scary thought at my age (61) but I would do it.

Sarah said...

I would be so nervous but I know I would want to do right by the person who trusted me with such an important task!

sarahbutterfield at gmail dot com

windycindy said...

I would be elated! I am the happy and blessed mom of two sons and loved being a stay at home mom.....
Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Janice said...

Since I had just one child who is grown up and I have had no nieces or nephews I think it would be delightful to homeschool again and give another child the advantage of my experience. But because I am older I would have to have more backup help than I had the first time around.

Janice said...

Forgot the address in case of win:
jsmithg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Edgy Inspirational Author said...

And the winner is... Janice!

Congratulations!

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