Review: Mommy's Choice: A Review
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 13, 2012
First of all, I like the author. I started with the Mystic Saga and have been working my way down the chain of his novels outside of that series. Second, I am a Christian, so you can take my review or leave it. However, I will not be reviewing my personal world view and judging the book's quality basic on that (as it seems almost all of the negative reviews have done). However, this IS A CHRISTIAN novel with Christian themes. So those who're shocked by this need only to read some of the reviews and they will find this out. If it annoys you to have Bible references and Christian values to drive the development of the characters, do not read it. The characters in the book are Christians trying to live according to that life style. I probably wouldn't be interested in a book that glorified Marxism. Likewise, people who're aggressive toward a Christian world view may not be interested. Thanks. Now read on.As I have come to expect from the author, the book starts out in a sort of confusing manner. Making us unsure of just who the main character is, and exactly what the story is about initially and sets up a shifting scene break. To me, half the "thriller" and "mystery" emits from the authors style and wording rather than a "who-done-it". We begin with a man who is trapped in a subway with a young adult with no memory of how they got there. Subways scream past without stopping and the two cannot find a way out. Then scene cut. Brian, a postal worker, hears a new-born screaming from a apartment that he is delivering a letter to and he finds a single teenage mother who is grossly neglecting her child. He "bargains" his way to help the baby, and in the mean-time the two become friends and eventually get married. The rest of the book is literally scene-by-scene of their lives together. The story is filled with hardships, happiness, love, and through it all, Jesus. The family does most of their struggles in trying to live life according to the Bible. The whole story takes place over the course of twenty years, which is something I really like in my stories. You get to see the characters grow in overcoming personal demons, loss, gain, and share the fruits of their labors. The author's superb use of dialogue and believable, fallible characters grips the reader and made me genuinely interested in what happened to them. I smiled or felt sad when the situation called for it. We re-visit the scene in the subway with the boy (who is obviously the boy in the rest of the story), and the man (who is not identified until the very end), as well as short scenes of a very confusing conversation between two characters from the main story. It all comes together at the end for a big heart jerker that does NOT make you feel all warm and fuzzy, nor does it really offer any closure. It is not a bad ending, in fact I cannot remember reading a more powerful gut-punch ending. Most stories end with the characters feeling all good about what they've done, and gain some closure. If you feel close to the characters at all, this is not the case.I liked the characters. I felt close to them, and could relate to their struggles. Some could find the style of writing to be confusing or unconventional. I found it stimulating and is one of the reasons I like the author. I encourage anyone to read this book, but it is not for everyone. However, the quality of Scotts writing, along with the theme and style made for a very good, page-turning read.