Tag: Christian Fiction

Book Review: IyanuOluwa Olorode’s Love’s Direction

Nobody seems to understand Julia Onoja including the reader of the book. At the beginning of the story, she appeared too wild, tough, ruthless and very revengeful. During the funeral of her dad, her family members were praying for her absence at the ceremony and when she showed up, she wore very fanciful clothing not fit for a burial. She also laughed out loudly when the tribute of her dad was being read.

Aderinsola Cole was being haunted by a mistake he committed when he was much younger. Whatever he did to that lady was eating him up and preventing him from enjoying any relationship with the opposite sex. With conviction in his heart, he sets off to seek forgiveness from the woman he had wronged and to free himself to love again. Was he successful?

Sophia Azazi-Onoja seemed very powerful. With her wealth, power and fame, she seemed to be battling with a terminal disease. What did she do to badly sever her relationship with her daughter?

The reader is introduced to other remarkable characters in the ensuing chapters of the book which will make you wonder what happened in the past that had left them scarred. The reader is kept in suspense until the story unravels in several episodes of flashbacks, and then the actions of each character in the present becomes understandable.

The good

I loved how the story had a lot of strong characters. There were so many of them who were introduced with very compelling stories like Helen, Ibioso and the entire Hans-Okobo family, Veronica, Azuka, Ifedade, among others. The author did a fabulous job of giving us details of each of the characters that kept readers flipping through the pages to know how their stories would turn out.

The description of settings, and events including the funeral of Duoye, the court session with Douere, the scenes in the classroom and the church service with Eliora were vividly described and it felt like one was physically present in those moments.

I have been reading a lot of American Christian novels and Love’s Direction was set up in Nigeria/Africa. That got me excited because the language was sometimes in pidgin and other local ones that were translated in the endnotes. It was a breath of fresh air and made the story relatable at all levels.

The Lessons

This book is laden with several real-life lessons which were presented in a very captivating way (not shoved in your face). It sets one’s mind to several issues that we have probably swept under the carpet including how we behave towards our ‘unsaved’ friends when we are fortunate to accept Jesus. Do you push them far away because you are new in the faith and do not want to be tempted to sin? Or what?

Also, do you return to your first wife after you’ve married a second one because you have recently accepted Jesus?

Would you forgive a mother when you find out you were adopted about three decades ago and she had kept it a secret?

How about an uncle who raped you when you were little? Or a mother who ‘kills’ your baby because she thought you were young and had a whole life ahead of you? Or a lover who deserts you because he has met Christ?

There are several dilemmas in this book but the author, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did a great job of providing suggestions on how to solve them which kept our minds reeling up till the last pages.

The bad

I felt the story ended too abruptly. Although the story ended well for some of the main characters, I felt I had been left on the edge, wondering what would happen to the others but readers are told that Love’s Direction is the first in the sequel and the story of the other characters will be continued in subsequent books.

I totally recommend this book to readers who may be looking for Christian fiction set in Africa that will compel you to free all those who have wronged you and, with the right kind of suspense and several other plots that it never gets boring.

Don’t forget to share your thoughts if you read or have already read this book.

**I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of this book. Love’s Direction will be released on April 4th, 2024. This and Love’s Beacon, by the same author, are already available on Bambooks but you can get your physical copies by getting in touch with the author on all social media platforms.

©      

Book Review: Karen Kingsbury’s ‘Oceans Apart’

Have you ever read a story that made you so sad that you actually shed tears? That was the situation I found myself in when I read Karen’s Kingsbury Oceans Apart. The story was so moving that most of the pages had me in tears.

Synopsis

Kiahna, a flight attendant and young Christian dies in a plane crash leaving behind her seven-year-old son who neither knows his dad nor any family member except an old babysitter who takes care of him when his mum is away. Before her death, Kiahna kept a will (she updates annually) which included finding the father of her son, Max if anything happened to her. The father of her son, Connor is a happily married man in another State, with two daughters who had had a one-night-stand with Kiahna about eight years ago. He never met with Kiahna and had no idea he had a son till he was contacted by Kiahna’s lawyer a few days after her demise. Kiahna’s will was for Max to spend two weeks with Connor and after that, Connor could decide whether he wants to adopt Max or not. The quest to meet with his dad, the tremor which shook the Evans family after they discovered Connor had a son and the emotional roller-coaster Max had to endure after meeting the Evans was what made this story a touching one.

The Good

This book was easy to read and the author carried the reader through the story quite effortlessly. The over 300-paged novel was generally sad, particularly when it was told from the perspective of seven-year-old Max. The simplicity and purity of his thoughts and actions were generally beautiful and moving. Some people may think Michelle (Connor’s wife) may have overreacted when she discovered her ‘almost perfect’ husband had cheated on her and even had a son and to even make matters worse, had kept it a secret all these years. As a married woman, I think Michelle’s concerns were quite legitimate, especially, when you have had no cause to mistrust your partner.

The Bad

Worldviews are not black or white. There is always that grey portion that sometimes prevents people from distinguishing right and wrong behaviour immediately. The manner in which the characters accepted their faults made the story a little unbelievable. For instance, Kiahna easily accepted that Connor was married. She simply allowed him to go and made no attempt to contact him to even inform him of his son. In her heart, she loved Connor (how she fell in love with a man she spent just a day with is another puzzle to be solved later) and that prevented her from loving any other man (rolling my eyes ). How Connor easily accepted the son he had no idea about without much questioning was a little disbelieving.

I also felt Max was portrayed just too perfectly – he was only seven years. His speech and mannerisms were sometimes unconvincing and too advanced for a little boy. Nonetheless, the story was great.

Recommend or Nah

The broader theme of love and forgiveness in relationships is portrayed well in this story. Karen Kingsbury magnifies the importance of forgiving one another no matter how difficult it is. She also highlights the need to spend time daily with God to know his voice and where He is directing you.

I recommend it to anyone who is having a hard time forgiving a loved one for a mistake they committed. This book is also for people having second thoughts about their faith in God – that is, whether to continue listening to the voice of God or taking matters into their own hands.

Have you read this book? What was your impression? Share with us in the comments section!

©