The Long Way Home

Book: The Long Way Home (The Homelanders Book 2) by Andrew Klavan, Thomas Nelson, 2010


Genre: Suspense
Target Audience: Boys 14+
Subject: Identity
Summary: I promised God I wouldn't stop trying. But am I the good guy or the bad guy?
Charlie wakes up one morning with no memory of the events of the last year. Now he's on a run for his life from both the bad guys and the good guys. The bad guys say he is one of them. The police say he killed his friend. His other friends say he didn't. How in the world is he supposed to know who's side he's on? And will he even stay alive long enough to find out? A group of terrorists are trying to take over the country and they want Charlie to believe he's one of them. Charlie has no memory to rely on. He has to learn to trust in something even deeper than memory. He has always stood up for what is right before all this started. Now he has to decide if he is going to do so again. With hired assassins coming after him with knives and races against police cars there isn't much time to stop and think about it though. Charlie determines to learn the truth about his friend's death and about himself. But doing so puts him even more at risk.
Notes: This book is definitely suspenseful. I found myself wanting to be naughty and skip pages to find out what happens! There is violence and talk of drugs. As for the overall spiritual theme, partly it would be apologetics, partly it is trust in God, mostly it's just a thriller novel though. Charlie doesn't do much turning to God for help. He takes all matters into his own hands rather than praying for wisdom or help. If it were a secular novel it would get a high rating and it is well-written, but for a book that's supposed to show people how to live a life of faith, it doesn't do as well.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 2/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi