CFBA: Book Review, Someone To Blame

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Someone To Blame

Zondervan (September 21, 2010)

by 

C. S. Lakin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

C. S. Lakin is a novelist and professional copyeditor and writing coach. She is currently working on her eleventh novel, a contemporary family saga drawn from the biblical story of Jacob. Someone to Blame(Zondervan), an intense relational drama and winner of the 2009 First Novel contest, released in October 2010, and she is also the author of the allegorical adult fantasy series The Gates of Heaven, featuring The Wolf of Tebron and the upcoming release The Map Across Time (March 2011). She is currently completing her tenth novel and developing a dog memoir of epic proportion.




ABOUT THE BOOK

In the wake of heartrending family tragedies, Matt and Irene Moore move with their fourteen-year-old daughter, Casey, to a small town. Their goal is to get far away from the daily reminders that leave each of them raw and guilt-ridden. Their hope is to find redemption, repair, and renewal. Instead, the threads that hold them together unravel even more.

Breakers, a small community perched on the rocky coast of the Pacific Northwest, is draped with cold isolation that seems to mirror the hearts. As they settle into their new life, old grief settles with them. Matt is always on edge and easily angered, Irene is sad and pensive, and Casey is confused and defiant. They've once more set the stage for calamity. Into this mix comes Billy Thurber, a young drifter with his own conflicts, whose life unexpectedly entangles with the Moores'.

His arrival in Breakers parallels a rash of hateful and senseless crimes, and soon the whole town -- eager for someone to blame -- goes after Thurber with murderous intent. Out of this dangerous chaos, however, the Moores find unexpected grace and healing in a most unlikely way.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Someone To Blame, go HERE.

MY THOUGHTS:
The characters in this book are living in a world of hurt.  I cannot imagine living with the kind of pain the Moore family has, yet while reading this book I wanted to reach out and grab them, shake some sense into them.  That may not sound nice, but this family just cries out for help.  Instead of seeking help from their church or family and friends the Moore family packs up and moves away looking for a fresh start.  How can you start fresh when you're carrying a whole lot of baggage and pain?  Blame.  Blame is carried out high and low throughout this story and it makes you wonder if the characters are just lashing out, looking for a way to replace pain by using blame.

The young drifter, is someone you just love to dislike and his being in town creates quite a stir.  While I enjoyed this book I had a difficult time getting through it, the middle of the story dragged a bit for me.  I think this book does send a good message about healing broken hearts and forgiveness, and while I probably will not read it again, it's a book I'm glad to have read.  Very thought provoking.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from CFBA