On Shifting Sand

Starred review from March 2, 2015
As far as inspirational love stories go, Pittman (Crossroads of Grace series) has crafted an unconventional one. She mires her protagonists in grit with a tale of sex, physical abuse, infidelity, and betrayal. Nola Mitchum endured a harsh upbringing after her mother died. Smalltown Oklahoma preacher Russ Merrill became her exit strategy. Now 13 years old with two children, Nola’s marriage is no better than her father’s abuse was. Her soul becomes as dry as the Dust Bowl they live in until Jim Brace, an old friend of Russ, appears, and Nola begins to tread the treacherous territory of emotional infidelity. The sexual consummation of her relationship with Jim buries Nola deeper in guilt. Her shame is overshadowed only by the fear of Russ’s response to her indiscretion. The drama is slow to start as Pittman develops the setting, meticulously detailing the difficulties of dealing with deadly dust storms. Nola is vividly fleshed out, and, through her viewpoint, Pittman effectively contrasts the repercussions of forgiveness when it is withheld and granted. Agency: William K. Jensen Literary Agency.

April 1, 2015

Nola Merrill is as dry spiritually as the parched Oklahoma land on which she lives. Rushing into a hasty marriage with a young preacher to escape her emotionally distant father did not work out as well as she hoped. A dozen years and two children later an old friend of her husband's appears. Jim showers Nola with the attention she has craved all her life. Under his tender ministrations and awash in new feelings, she betrays her marital vows. Ashamed of her actions, Nola worries that her husband may be unable or unwilling to forgive her. VERDICT Demonstrating her versatility as a novelist, Pittman has written a moving tale of temptation, surrender, guilt, and redemption that is quite different from her "Sister Wives" series. Nola is an unreliable narrator, but she's also a compelling storyteller. The unusual setting of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl of the 1930s adds historical interest and parallels the destruction of Nora's life. This intricately plotted novel of one woman's journey of faith will certainly have wide appeal.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015
When Nola Merrill married a preacher, she knew his loyalty would be divided between her and his devoted parishioners, but she never imagined that her commitment as a faithful wife would be challenged by a mysterious stranger. Living in Featherling, Oklahoma, during the Dust Bowl, Nola is suffocating both in the cloud of dirt and under the weight of her scandalous secret. Is her father right, that this drought-driven nightmare is God's punishment for her inability to find happiness with her station in life? As the gritty winds erode her nerves, she must choose whether to suffer in silence or escape in shame. Pittman expertly presents this compelling first-person story of sin, secrets, and a struggle to find forgiveness in herself and in God in Nola's lilting Oklahoma drawl and turns the pervasive dust into a powerful metaphor. Although there are only brief, tasteful scenes of passion, Pittman manages to generate a palpable, simmering heat throughout the novel, satisfying readers' thirst for drama, deceit, and deliverance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)