Review of Dogwood by Chris Fabry
August 5, 2008
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
(Tyndale House Publishers – July 9, 2008)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chris Fabry has a variety of titles to his credit including At the Corner of Mundane and Grace, Spiritually Correct Bedtime Stories, Away with the Manger, The H.I.M. Book, and The 77 Habits of Highly Effective Christians. His latest work is a collaboration with Jerry B. Jenkins and Dr. Tim LaHaye.
Chris has recently completed the final book in the Left Behind The Kids series, available Fall 2004. Readers of all ages have followed the lives of Judd, Vicki, Lionel, and the others. Now read how their exciting stories culminate in book 40 of this beloved series. Dogwood is his first adult fiction.
Chris and his wife, Andrea, are the parents of nine children and make their home in Colorado. Chris has worked in Christian radio and now enjoys narrating audio books as well as writing. He believes his career as a husband and father is the real evidence of God’s grace in his life.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the small town of Dogwood, West Virginia, Karin has buried her shattered dreams by settling for a faithful husband whose emotional distance from her deep passions and conflicts leaves her isolated. Loaded with guilt, she tries to raise three small children and “do life” the best she can.
Will returns to Dogwood intent on pursuing the only woman he has ever loved–only to find there is far more standing in his way than lost years in prison. The secrets of Will and Karin’s past begin to emerge through Danny Boyd, a young boy who wishes he hadn’t survived the tragedy that knit those two together as well as tore them apart.
The trigger that will lay their pain bare and force them to face it rather than flee is the unlikely figure of Ruthie Bowles, a withered, wiry old woman who leads Karin so deep into her anger against God that it forces unexpected consequences.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Dogwood, go HERE
Sally Says: Dogwood is not the type of book I normally read. It’s not Southern fiction because it’s set in West Virginia, but it reads a lot like Southern fiction.
The book is written from the viewpoint of four different characters. The story is really about a tragic event that happened in the past, and my one critique was that the book was vague about what happened for too long. But once I reached the end — and what a surprising twist the end was! — I understood why the story was so vague, but I still wish the author could have filled us in a little bit earlier.
Overall I enjoyed the book. I think this is one that depends on your tastes. It’s got more of a literary feel which I don’t tend to care for, but it’s well-written with an ending you really never see coming. If you like literary, Southern fiction, you’ll love Dogwood.
Comments
3 Responses to “Review of Dogwood by Chris Fabry”
Thanks for reviewing this book, Sally. On my local Christian radio station Chris Fabry does an “audio blog” and I’ve always enjoyed listening to him. I had no idea that he wrote books too. I’m still in “babyland” with my almost-4-month-old son but I may be able to carve out a few minutes here and there to read this book.
I think I’ve heard Chris Fabry on radio, too, but hadn’t made the connection. The book sounds intriguing. As long as they’re not too esoteric, I generally like those books with a literary feel to them, so maybe I should check this one out.
I really loved this novel because of the writing. I did not care for the twist at the end, but it was an interesting conclusion, and it did work regardless of whether or not I liked it. Fabry just plain writes beautiful prose, and it reeled me in. There were two stereotypes in it, but for a first adult novel (since he’s written many for kids), it was a hit as far as I’m concerned, and I will look forward to any more of his efforts for adults.