When The Heart Cries

July 31, 2006
In this debut inspirational novel, Woodsmall takes readers inside a contemporary Amish family where the eldest daughter, Hannah, has fallen in love with her neighbor Paul. The trouble is that he's a Mennonite, and if those two faiths look similar to outsiders, they don't to Hannah's father, who would never permit his daughter to marry outside the Amish community. Yes, this is a familiar setup, with shades of the movie Witness
. But the star-crossed romance is only the backdrop to the central events of the novel: in the very first chapter, Hannah experiences a trauma, setting in motion a chain of events that sometimes seems incredible. Woodsmall's prose is undistinguished; she too often flatly describes emotions ("Disappointment and anger formed a knot in Luke's chest"), and the Pennsylvania Dutch sprinkled throughout the book can be distracting. Still, this novel shows potential. Most of the characters are likable, and Woodsmall depicts both the appeal and the potential myopia of secluded Amish life. An emotionally subtle subplot involving Hannah's younger sister's envy adds some depth. Better yet, the surprising conclusion sets Woodsmall up for a sequel—but she'll need some fine-tuning if she wants a truly lasting series.

Jill Shellabarger portrays na•ve 17-year-old Hannah, who has been raised in an Old Order Amish family. Her depiction of Hannah's feelings of conflict when her secret Mennonite boyfriend, Paul, proposes is especially believable. Hannah feels both joy and anxiety because traditional Amish and Mennonites never mix, and Hannah fears her family's displeasure. Shellabarger's sympathetic portrayal of the ensuing tragedy that changes Hannah's life forever is captivating. She perfectly renders Hannah's questioning of the Old Amish ways, her father's love for her, and her place in the Amish community. But, most of all, she subtly depicts Hannah's doubts about her beloved Paul. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine