Tears in a Bottle

September 24, 2001
With embryonic cell research garnering headlines in the media, this novel from the author of Refiner's Fire
(a Christy nominee and Silver Angel winner) is a timely tale for CBA readers, but will likely miss a larger audience in the general market because of its cut-and-dried approach to the abortion issue. Thor Emerson, a mediocre and corrupt physician, is about to lose his wife, Teresa, and son, Eric, because of the long hours he works at his chain of six abortion clinics and his sexual dabbling. He's charging top dollar for abortions, but has found bigger bucks to be made in fetal tissue harvesting. Becky Taylor, a young teen in her first sexual relationship, finds herself pressured by her parents to end a pregnancy. She is taken to the clinic, where she is sexually molested by a doctor and caught in the middle of a bloody massacre. Pro-life readers who are looking for fictional reinforcement of their beliefs should be satisfied by the content, but will be hampered by choppy transitions and several overly contrived scenes, as when Teresa pours out her heart to a counselor and ends up in church. Pro-life characters are painted as virtuous (with the notable exception of the mentally ill clinic gunman) and pro-choice characters are uniformly portrayed as unenlightened or even sinister. Although it may please some CBA readers, this is a disappointing, marginal novel in which plot and character are subordinate to the author's pro-life politics.

September 1, 2001
Becky Taylor succumbs to her parents' decision that she have an abortion, believing that she has no other choice. Then, while waiting in a small room for her mother to pick her up after the procedure, she hears screams and gunfire. Within minutes, Becky is the only living soul left in the clinic. Traumatized by the abortion and the shooting, Becky lashes out at friends and family in an increasingly suicidal manner until, in desperation, her father contacts Maggie Singer, director of Community Life Center, a pro-life organization with a program to help women who have had abortions let go of their grief and move on with their lives. Maggie should know; a botched abortion destroyed her chances for children in the future. Bambola (Refiner's Fire) tackles the question of God's forgiveness of sin in any situation, but not his acceptance, by offering different viewpoints on abortion but emphasizing a pro-life stance. Outstanding in its depiction of a particular stance, this book belongs in all well-rounded collections.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.