Interrupted: Life Beyond Words

Allie, I said I was sorry. Sam kicked his foot on the ground, sending up a small pile of dust. I looked up and gave him a withering look. If you hadn’t been at my house, none of this would have happened.” Sam looked taken aback. “What?” “If I’d been there with Mam, I could have saved her.” “Allie,” Sam whispered, hurt in his eyes. I refused to meet his gaze. Instead I hugged myself as tightly as my too-small black dress would let me and tried to fight the tears in my eyes.

Book: Interrupted: Life Beyond Words by Rachel Coker, Zondervan Publishers, 2012

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 13-20

Subjects: Loss, Salvation, Faith, Adoption, Dating Relationships

Summary: She would have done anything to keep her mom alive. It didn’t matter that in many ways she had become the parent and her mother the child. She loved and adored her mother. So when her mother finally slips away one afternoon, Allie lashes out in anger at the most likely target: the boy next door who distracted her so that she wasn’t with her mom. Adopted by a lady from another state, Allie moves on with her life in many ways, forgetting Sam for the most part. She hangs on to her mom in her heart, journaling letters to her and refusing to let anyone else’s love in. Then Sam reappears and pushes his way back into Allie’s life and shows her all she’s missing out on by refusing to let love in.

Notes: This is a coming of age kind of story, beginning with a young girl and taking us through years of her life. It explores what kind of life someone would have if they closed themselves off from love. Allie refuses to accept Christianity because her mom didn’t. She refuses to accept love from her adopted mom because she is taking the place of her first mom. She refuses to accept love from a boy because she’s too determined to hang on to her anger and bitterness. It takes a combination of multiple people determinedly showing Allie the love of Christ and a near tragedy to get Allie to surrender to God and love. The story was written in such a way that the Gospel message was summarized, rather than told, but it was there. The book included verses, people sharing God’s love with Allie and her surrendering to God when she finally hit bottom. Overall it does a pretty good job covering it’s message: not to let fear of hurt keep you from accepting and giving love.

Recommendation Scale: 4.5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 1:12-13 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review as a part of the Team Novel Team Blog group.

To see others’ thoughts on this book please check out any of the following blogs:

ADD Librarian • The Book Fae • Book Nook 4 You • Colorimetry • CTF Devourer • Gillian Adams • My Life with a Mission • My Story Shelf • Jill Williamson • Oh, Restless Bird • Rachelle Rea