The Feathered Bone

Title:  The Feathered Bone

Author:  Julie Cantrell

Pages:  384

Year:  2016

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson

My rating is 5 stars.

Life experiences are something we all acquire as we live life this side of heaven.  If we are truthful, we would say that some days just seem dark, full of evil that looks as if it is beating people down, and some don’t want to live another moment.  When people are impacted by tragedies, the reactions vary and if we’re honest we struggle with our faith.

In this novel is a tale that really will grab the deepest parts of the reader’s heart with joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, evil and hope.  While I read the book, I admit I wondered what in the world I was thinking as the novel wrestles with some of life’s devastating events like suicide, divorce, feeling hopeless and full of guilt for many reasons.  The characters show us how deep the pain can rock even the staunchest faith or a person who is known to be strong.

The other tough issue is child abduction and human trafficking which shatters many lives.  While some, in time, learn to live one day at a time, others decide that they cannot live another day.  People also live with survivor’s guilt when someone else loses their life in a traumatic event.  I imagine that is what people like Corrie Ten Boom wrestled with when she alone survived a death camp, losing everyone but her brother during the Nazi regime.

Why bring up Corrie ten Boom?  Was she in the story?  No.  What Julie shares with us is a fictional tale   borne from real life events either in her life or in those she has met in her travels.  Stories can touch our hearts in the deepest places and it is there we see that God resides still and hope never dies.  I once heard an author respond to the question, “Why don’t you just tell people what is going on or what might happen instead of writing fiction” (Not a direct quote but you get the message).  The author replied that more will hear the message through the work of fiction than if they simply came to a lecture.

I believe the author was spot on in the assessment.  So, while Julie’s story is a work of fiction it actually reflects what is going on around us every day whether we see it or not.  Before Julie Cantrell, Corrie Ten Boom learned that no matter how deep evil, pain and broken lives go; God’s love goes deeper still.  He doesn’t just give His love but the hope He brings to people every day if they can dare to believe.  Read Isaiah 61:1-3.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”