Picking up the pieces is being featured on the Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance this week. Information about the author and more details about the book can be found here.

Picking up the pieces is a very brave book, tackling the subject of rape in a Christian context takes a great deal of courage. There are also many other issues this book raises – the dysfunctionality of families, the effects of alcohol, what does forgiveness mean, to mention a few. Yet Paula Vince handles all these and more with a great deal of skill and insightfulness.

The story begins with Claire being raped and left to literally pick up the pieces of her life. She moves to Melbourne to stay with relatives and recover from the ordeal. Yet time does not necessarily heal all wounds. Meanwhile Blake is consumed with guilt and remorse. His self-imposed punishments do little to relieve his conscience and then there is Sean’s terrible accident. What else could possibly go wrong?

After reading about a third of the book, I was intrigued as to how Paula was going to bring a ‘happily ever after’ end to such a difficult and complex situation. Yet she managed it with ease, without being predictable or overly convenient. There was a high Christian content which is to be expected if there was going to be healing and restoration and I felt Paula handled this well.

It seems odd to say that I enjoyed a book about rape, yet I did. It was an immensely encouraging read.

Thanks to Even Before Publishing for providing a free book for review.