Runaway Saint

November 18, 2013
The eponymous character of this latest from Samson is Belinda, the aunt of narrator Sara Drexel. Sara is a graphic artist; Aunt Bel is a missionary returned abruptly and mysteriously from Kazakhstan, needing a place to stay. Bel is eccentric, and her advent into the household of Sara and Sara’s dependable husband Finn opens many doors to Sara’s family’s troubled past. Samson maintains her ambitious agenda: big theological questions of sacrifice and sanctity are tucked in between the lines. She reels in the reader with the usual engaging cast of supporting characters: printer Huey, who works with Sara in her small, hip design business, is a well-executed and memorable standout. Samson also brings back characters from her most recent novel, The Sky Beneath My Feet, to loosely knit the two novels together, but also to extend her examination of contemporary Christianity. The book doesn’t cohere perfectly, but it does satisfy, and the author’s many fans will be happy. In her own quirky way, Samson is the Anne Tyler of Christian fiction.

February 15, 2014

Sara Drexel seems to have it all: a strong marriage to a supportive husband who encourages her career as an artist; a great business; a beautiful home. However, she feels like something is missing. Her faith has waned, and her life feels flat. Then her maternal Aunt Bel returns from 20 years of missionary work in Kazakhstan with secrets that Sara cannot begin to fathom. Likewise, our protagonist has some inner demons of her own. What follows is an unfolding of family secrets and misunderstandings that bring Sara, Aunt Bel, and Sara's mother to a place where secrets must be shared and forgiven before healing can begin. VERDICT Samson's (The Sky Beneath My Feet) quirky characters will have readers laughing, crying, and shaking their heads in disbelief, sometimes all at the same time. This uplifting read about forgiveness, family, and being thankful for all that you have will attract fans of women's fiction and especially works by authors Sarah Jio, Anne Tyler, and Alice Hoffman.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
A past she doesn't remember has shaped Sara Drexel's life just as much as the choices she's actively made. She has a doting husband and a thriving business, but something melancholy lurks beneath her consciousness. When Sara's Aunt Bel returns to live with her after 20 years away, Sara realizes her own inner troubles may actually be connected to larger family issues she has never understood. Her worries also lead her to question who God is in her life. Life never stops, however, for worry. Sara faces pressure from her family, triumphs at work, and deepens her relationship with her husband as she tries to sort out her purpose in life. Samson's readers will adore her characters, and they'll root for Sara, who is refreshingly authentic in her doubts and quirks, to get to the bottom of her family's silence and pain. As Samson explores the tension between past and present, destiny and choice, she dramatizes challenges associated with having faith in today's world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)