Books in Brief

What's new in Christian fiction

By Jana Reiss -- Publishers Weekly, 6/17/2002

THE GIFTED
Terri Blackstock. W Publishing, $10.99 paper (144p) ISBN 0-8499-4341-8
After a devastating earthquake leaves three co-workers blind, lame and mute, respectively, they awaken the following morning to discover they have all been miraculously healed. They also begin manifesting strange powers and realize that they have an evangelistic mission to save the unconverted. The three begin to use their gifts to bring others to Christ: an alcoholic doctor, a battered wife, a stroke victim, a bereaved father, a widower. Blackstock's supernatural novella feels thin and underdeveloped, and is not up to her usual standards. Characters make sudden, life-changing spiritual decisions in a matter of sentences, their hearts instantly softening despite years of agonizing experiences. The supernatural elements of this story can be believed more readily than the shallowly presented transformations of its characters. (Aug.)

ON MY OWN
Melody Carlson. Multnomah, $12.99 paper (300p) ISBN 1-59052017-3
In this fourth installment of Carlson's popular Diary of a Teenage Girl YA series, Caitlin O'Conner begins her freshman year of college. Her hostile roommate, Liz, belittles Caitlin's Christian faith, devours her care packages, disappears for days on end and--perhaps worst of all--reads her secret diary. But Caitlin finds that underneath Liz's seething exterior is a lonely and hurting person who is coming to terms with a pain-filled past. Carlson once again demonstrates she has a handle on teen language, writing believably in Caitlin's voice. (Caitlin is, for example, "totally jazzed" by the birth of her nephew.) The characters are plausibly flawed and immature at times as they wrestle with issues such as dating, independence from parents and practicing an authentic faith. Carlson also permits the ending to remain somewhat unresolved, lending a realism to the novel. (July)

POSTMARKED HEAVEN
Jack Cavanaugh. Revell, $11.99 paper (224p) ISBN 0-8007-5830-7
In this collection of brief sketches, four heavenly residents offer messages in the form of letters to those of us who are still on this side of the veil. The four celestial correspondents--a Civil War-era doctor, an ancient Antiochian martyr for the Christian faith, a 20th-century Ethiopian woman and a near-contemporary California screenwriter--have potential, but Cavanaugh misses opportunities to develop them. The Ethiopian woman Shankala, for example, is an unrealized character who speaks in a highly stylized (not to mention inconsistent) dialect. These are not so much vignettes as sermonettes, and while some offer depth and poignancy, the overall tone is too didactic to make for compelling fiction. (July)

THE MEMORY BOOK
Penelope Stokes. W Publishing, $16.99 paper (304p) ISBN 0-8499-1706-9
As in her previous books (The Amber Photograph; The Blue Bottle Club; The Amethyst Heart; The Treasure Box), Stokes uses the familiar literary device of having a material object serve as a tangible link to the past. This one features a strong, well-drawn female protagonist who is coming to terms with family history: on a visit home, young Phoebe Lange discovers the revealing diary of her great-aunt (also named Phoebe), which sheds light on some murky family secrets. Although the plot is well-worn and some situations are contrived, Stokes's writing is strong. She bravely incorporates some welcome fantasy elements, and the ending offers an unexpected plot twist. Also, Stokes is not afraid to ask hard questions about faith, integrating both Phoebes' Christian worldviews into the grain of the novel. It would be nice to see this promising writer move on to fresh story lines. (July)

TWILIGHT
Kristen Heitzmann. Bethany, $11.99 paper (384p) ISBN 0-7642-2605-3
A pyrophobic fireman woos the woman who once broke his heart in this predictable but competent romantic suspense novel. Cal, a recovering alcoholic who is struggling to forget a tragic fire, makes for a rugged Christian hero, while the lovely but unhappy Laurie is a prickly addition to the cadre of damsels in distress. Of course, they wind up together and in the loving arms of Jesus, but first readers must endure a weak subplot of danger, drugs and kidnappers. Clichés abound: the villains (one of whom is Hispanic) take Laurie hostage and hole up in a deserted barn, while Cal eschews police help to save her himself. Moreover, he must confront the demons of his past in an incendiary climax that is well-written but thoroughly conventional. (July)

WATERMELON DAYS AND FIREFLY NIGHTS: Heartwarming Scenes from Small Town Life
Annette Smith. Revell, $10.99 paper (192p) ISBN 0-8007-5799-8
Don't be fooled by the too-cute-by-half cover on this collection of interrelated short stories. The vignettes within are emotional but rarely cloying, and are also honest-to-goodness funny. Smith's fictitious town of Ella Louise, Tex., will appeal to readers who have enjoyed Jan Karon's Mitford or Philip Gulley's Harmony. The characters are not quite as maturely drawn or as rough around the edges, but they have an appealing and unforced eccentricity. The only false note is Smith's occasional tendency to tack on a moralistic first-person conclusion to some stories, which would be more powerful if they were permitted to stand on their own (July)