Waiting for Morning

        "Life took place on the  enemy's ground. And the enemy would always allow drunk driving and senseless murder..."   Hannah Ryan, in Karen Kingsbury's novel, Waiting for Morning, realized this when she finally forgave  the man who had torn her perfect family apart.
       
        Hannah Ryan's life as she had always known it was destroyed one afternoon by the senseless act of one man, driving under the influence of alcohol.  In one fated moment Hannah's oldest daughter, and beloved husband were torn from her life along with her sense of trust in God.
   
        The ripple effect of her grief encompasses the lives of both Hannah, and her surviving daughter, Jenny, as Hannah doggedly pursues the arrest and conviction of the drunk driver, Brian Wesley.

        Jenny feels abandoned by her deceased sister and father and equally by her anger and grief stricken mother.  Jenny begins to court the idea of suicide because she only wants to be with her father and sister in their new home with Jesus, where she will feel loved once again.
     
        Hannah,  has lost her faith in God.  Once a strong Christian woman, now Hannah is bitter and feels that if God had really loved her, He would have never torn her perfect family apart.  Where Jenny wants to be with Jesus, Hannah wants to run as far away from her Christian faith as she can.
     
         Karen Kingsbury does an incredible job of portraying the emotions and unfathomable loss of a mother and sister in the depth of tragedy and heartache.  Kingsbury takes the brave approach of creating a character who does not at first embrace forgiveness as a Christian is supposed to do.  Most Christian inspired literature spouts repetitive dialogue about being forgiven and giving absolution to our fellow man. Though this is a foundation of the Christian theology, Kingsbury understands and exposes the humanity of her character in Waiting for Morning,  by acknowledging that even devout, "good" Christians can become bitter and fall away from the faith, yet find their way back to God and healing.

         Kingsbury was eloquent in creating characters that inspired the reader to hurt for their losses and rage for the injustice then cheer for the acceptance of forgiveness and healing grace.
This reader thoroughly enjoyed Kingsbury's novel, Waiting for Morning. The realism of the plot and the response of the characters made her story one that will be remembered and shared.

FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review