Resurrection in May

June 28, 2010
Samson (The Passion of Mary-Margaret) goes after the big enchilada of theodicy—why a good God would permit evil—in this tale of a mildly dissolute but open-hearted young woman, May Seymour, whose mission trip to Rwanda shows her humanity at its most basic. Despite a warning, she remains in her village and is the only survivor of the genocidal onslaught. She returns to a Kentucky farm whose owner, Claudius Borne, extended paternal hospitality to her before her trip. She remains there for years in the grip of post-traumatic agoraphobia. The plot turns when May learns that college boyfriend Eli Campbell is on death row, and the two renew their acquaintance. Samson is bold as ever, exploring big questions through her vivid writing and memorable characters. But the plot creaks mechanically at points in this outing, with some key episodes and secondary characters not developed enough to reel the reader in. Eli's daughter Callie is unconvincing, and the exchange of letters between the imprisoned Eli and May is a little heavy-handed. Samson gets high marks for imagination and ambition, but points off for flaws in execution.

August 1, 2010

When May Seymour graduates from college in 1993, a world of opportunities lies before her. She travels to Rwanda on a mission trip and chooses to stay with her village when the Rwandan genocide breaks out in 1994. The sole survivor, a shattered May returns home to live on the farm of elderly Claudius Borne, where she spends the next decade cloistered, never setting foot in the outside world. When she hears that an old college friend is on death row, she begins to communicate with him in letters. His faith helps May believe again and reach beyond the walls she has built around herself. VERDICT Christy Award winner Samson (Quaker Summer) has written a tragic story that ends in tenderness. Recommend this to readers who like stories of second chances.

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