Monday 26 September 2011 | By: Nicole @ Nicole About TOwn

Review: Edge of Grace by Christa Allen

Title: The Edge of Grace
Author: Christa Allen
Genre: Christian Fiction
Rating: PG
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Release Date: August 1, 2011
Pages: 336 Pages
Source: Finished Copy Provided by Author
My Rating: 3*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Synopsis
In a matter of seconds her entire world shifted...

An early morning call shatters Caryn Becker's world. Unable to cope with her brother's news that he is gay, Caryn rejects him and disappears into her own turbulent life as a young widow and single mom. But when David is attacked and nearly killed, Caryn is forced to make hard choices about family, faith, and her own future; choices that take her to the very edge of grace.



Quotes


     "I heard you.  I'm just not all that shocked," she said with a tender weariness - like when I tell Ben for the umpteenth time to stop digging snot out of his nose when we're in the grocery store - and patted my hand.  "Caryn, click your heels together.  It's time to leave Oz.  Your brother's gay.  He's still your brother.  The same brother you loved seconds before the phone call."
     "Seriously?  You're telling me this is okay?"  She couldn't be.  Of all people, Julie would share my outrage, not intensify it.
     "He's your brother.  Want to ignore him?  Sure.  Who's left?


My Thoughts


Let me preface this review by stating that I normally do not read and review Christian fiction, but for some reason this was a book that I kept coming back to and when I had the chance to be a part of the blog tour, I jumped at the chance.  I can honestly say, I am glad that I did.  Christa Allen tackles what is a very difficult topic with tact and sensitivity.  The book did not leave me feeling like I was being preached to, but rather left me thinking about some of my own long standing beliefs and ideals.  While this book does have religious overtones, I don’t really feel that it is limited to a Christian audience.  It really speaks to basic human understanding of themselves and those around them.  

Caryn is a single mother trying to raise her child and build up her own business.  She gets the shock of her life when she receives a phone call from her brother David to inform her that he is gay.  Struggling to reconcile her beliefs with her reality, she chooses to cut her brother out of her life due to his lifestyle.  Her world changes once again when she receives a phone call informing her that her brother has been the victim of a hate crime.  She decides to help work on the case with her brother’s lawyer and soon her  business begins to suffer as a result of her brother's lifestyle.  She ends up being forced to do some soul searching in order to make some very hard choices about her faith and her family.

While the circumstances may be different, the general idea of something happening that is at odds with who you are and what you believe in is not so far fetched.  It something that happens to people everyday.  Therein lies the appeal of The Edge of Grace.  Not only does it take a topic straight out of a news headline but it does so in a non-judgmental and meaningful way.

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