Facing the Dawn

January 11, 2021
Ruchti (Afraid of the Light) returns with a heartbreaking story about one woman’s journey through grief and resentment. Mara Jacobs has been raising her three trouble-prone children alone for the past three years while her husband, Liam, has been working in Uganda for a company that provides clean water to villages. Mara’s oldest son is on probation for drug possession, her teenage daughter has a bad attitude, and her youngest son keeps his emotions hidden. Oh, and the house keeps falling apart, and she hates her job at a cheese factory and resents Liam’s absence. After Liam dies in an accident, Mara is faced with either sinking under the weight of guilt for resenting him or learning to rely on her faith and the strength of surrounding friends. Not until Mara visits the last place her husband was seen alive does she begin to see the hope that comes after healing. Through the tragedy of Liam’s death, the whole Jacobs family comes together to ensure that Liam’s legacy of empathy and commitment to others remains intact. Ruchti delivers well-rounded, believable characters and has a sure hand at charting the ways they process complex emotions. This packs an emotional punch.

Starred review from January 1, 2021

Mara Jacobs knows her name means "bitter," and she certainly feels that way as her husband serves a nonprofit in Uganda, leaving her working double shifts and struggling with their wayward teenagers on her own. Mara also means "strong," and she has no idea how much she'll need that namesake as a series of calamities rock the already beleaguered Jacobs family. Struggling under the misconception that to ask for help is a sign of weakness, Mara is befriended by a cop-turned-homeless advocate and a childhood friend with regrets of her own. As the band of flawed humans come together, the cracks in Mara's family and in her heart begin to heal. VERDICT Ruchti (As Waters Gone By) has a gift for taking characters through their grief and lifting them to a place higher than themselves. Fans of Erin Bartels and Elizabeth Musser will appreciate the characters' journey to faith that never ventures into the clich�d. The message of hope in a situation that seems hopeless is especially needed now.--Christine Barth, Scott Cty. Lib. Syst., IA

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2021
Mara, who learns that her name means ""bitter,"" is an overwhelmed midwestern mom dealing with an unusual list of burdens as she tries to keep her home and family intact. Her humanitarian husband has been away in Uganda for three years helping dig wells to provide clean water. Her teenage children are unmotivated, delinquent, and resentful. As she struggles with her menial job selling cheese, Mara embodies her name, even though she's always eager to prove she can handle anything and strives to maintain the perfect family facade. Until it comes crashing down when the family experiences unimaginable tragedy. Mara's journey through grief connects her to friends old and new. Grief also takes her into the deepest recesses of her soul, as well as to Uganda in search of answers. Ruchti delves deeply into the ebb and flow of Mara's struggles and weaves in themes of guilt, betrayal, hope, and redemption. At times the transitions between settings and characters are abrupt, but ultimately, Ruchti's tender writing reveals how Mara fulfills another aspect of her name, which is ""strength.

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