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Sheila Deeth
, April 08, 2013
(view all comments by Sheila Deeth)
Lightning strikes the cross outside a small church in Michigan and the pastor, wondering how the congregation will afford to mend it, hears the words, “Only believe.”
Belief is powerful theme in William Sirls’ novel The Reason�"belief, the possibility of miracles, and the certainty that God always has a reason for what happens in this world. Doctors and nurses in the hospital, pastor and wounded child, single mom, friends who drink too much, and many more townspeople will be drawn together in a circle where unbelief draws ever closer to something true. And a curious carpenter, at work on the long-delayed hospital extension, might lead them.
I enjoyed this novel. I like its gentle wisdom and convincing faith, reminding me sometimes of The Shack, sometimes of Taylor Caldwell’s Man who listens, and sometimes of all those hospital dramas we love to watch on TV. The well-orchestrated coincidences and pleasing moments of all-important guidance are well-timed and convincingly unforced. And there’s a deep Christian faith, making it a good book for seekers and believers, though perhaps not for those turned off by any mention of God. I love the final scene too, but I have to confess, while the ending truly is almost perfect, absolutely true to scripture’s promises, I still wish there’d been a balance somewhere of something less easy to believe�"at first reading, I even wished for a different ending, and I’m not entirely sure what that says about me. Still, it’s an enjoyable, thought-provoking read, one I picked up eagerly for the cover and blurb and couldn’t put down until I’d finished.
Disclosure: I won a copy of this novel in a blog contest.
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