Review: A Story to Stun, Awe, and Amaze
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
"Dawnlight" by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, published by Elk Lake Books, editor Kathi Macias, stuns, awes, and amazes. I give “Dawnlight” five stars and thumbs up.The following thoughts merely skim the surface of this deep book. Themes of life vs. death, the temporal vs. the eternal, hope vs. despair, fear vs. faith, and skepticism vs. belief, all give allegorical dimension to this book, but this is no allegory in the literal sense. “Dawnlight” accurately places the reader in the lives of Jewish men and women during the last two years of Jesus Christ's life on earth, but this is not a classic “life of Christ” story--although He does appear in places.This is a tale of young Elisheba’s struggle to keep herself and her son safe and carve a meaningful existence amid dangerous religious and political circumstances. A truly compelling page-turner, this book alternates between being tranquil and tempestuous; between thoughtful and action crammed; between eerily haunting and grounded in the tangible; all while dealing with issues that remain relevant to daily living in the twenty-first century. Not shirking tough issues, the well-researched and well-written prose of “Dawnlight” seeps into the heart’s soil like mist seeping into rich humus. As savored food for the soul, it satisfies. When the reader closes the pages, the story remains very much alive lingering within the heart and mind.