A Song I Knew by Heart by Brett Lott (fiction)
This book had great reviews, so I read it. J Lott is a good writer
(one of the first thing that makes or breaks a book for me J), but the story
disappointed me. It had great potential and was good in many ways, but it ended
up being totally predictable because of his overt uses of the names from the
book of Ruth. (Folks unfamiliar with the book of Ruth might not figure out the
story line so soon, but I think Lott should have had the sense not to take such
chances.) Personally, I can’t stand Christian fiction in general (usually
because of bad writing), and so this technique of Lott’s distracted me into
suspicions that he was writing a cheap novel instead of a serious work of
fiction. (This book was not supposed to be in the category of “Christian fiction”). The ending
made me feel like I was right. However, Lott’s writing ability and his
discussion of serious themes carried me through a good bit of the story. I
would have to say it stands a notch above the kind of genre I can’t stand. J The themes are:
forgiveness, grief, rediscovery of hope, and intimacy based on vulnerability.
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