Living Beneath the Surface: My Journey through Love, Loss, and Forgiveness

Chronicling the drowning death of her four-year-old son (as well as many other difficult experiences), Bennett-Bruns unfortunately fails to translate her poignant life into a memoir that offers practical spiritual help to readers. Bennett-Bruns begins by relating her battle with breast cancer, five miscarriages, ongoing physical problems resulting from a bus accident, and the childhood neuromuscular disorder that left her unable to walk. On occasion, an inspirational side to her tragedies emerges, such as when she forgives the first responders who failed to save her son. However, the emotional heart of her story is often obscured by extraneous detail—while at the same time suffering from a lack of detail on pertinent topics. The author also distances herself from her audience by ignoring her own advice. She warns the reader, “Do not isolate yourself,” but admits she hid her cancer prognosis from almost everyone, purportedly because she wanted to rely solely on God, not other people. Still, readers interested in a complicated story of struggle and survival, and willing to look past the narrative flaws, may enjoy Bennett-Bruns’s tale. (BookLife)