The Sowing Season

Starred review from July 1, 2020

DEBUT Gerrit Laninga has never known anything but dawn-'til-dusk labor on the family dairy farm and is at loose ends in retirement. His wife and children barely speak to him, his body is giving out, and old grudges seem to have new vigor, so he begins watching late-night cooking shows to fill the emptiness. Rae Walters is a type A overachiever teenager, destined for a big-time law firm and reluctant to deviate from "The Plan." When her fear of failing driver's ed becomes overwhelming, she hides in a dilapidated barn near her house. As the driven teenager and the crusty old man take the first tentative steps toward friendship, nothing seems to be going the way either of them planned. Their volunteer work for underprivileged youth helps both to understand how blessings often come to those who give of themselves. VERDICT Packed with poignancy and meaning, Powner's debut novel delivers life lessons that cross generations and will linger long after the last page is turned. If Powner has more stories like this, she will be the next big star in Christian fiction.--Christine Barth, Scott Cty. Lib. Syst., IA

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 27, 2020
Powner debuts with an enjoyable tale of friendship between a retired farmer and a teen girl, both of whom are struggling to find their place in the world. Sixty-three-year-old Gerrit Laninga has spent his entire life working the family farm in Greenville, Wash. After a particularly bad winter he decides to sell the farm, but has no idea what to do with his life once it’s sold. After years of concentrating solely on the farm, his wife feels like a stranger; his children, whom he neglected, don’t want to see him; and he can’t let go of a long-standing feud with his next-door neighbor. Fifteen-year-old Rae Walters is a straight-A student terrified of learning to drive who has always followed the plan to become a lawyer put in place by her controlling parents. After Gerrit finds Rae in his abandoned barn, where she’s hiding from her parents, he helps her learn to drive and Rae introduces Gerrit to the troubled youth at a local church, where he begins volunteering. As Rae wonders for the first time if God might have a plan for her, Gerrit works to fix his relationship with his family. This is an excellent tale of family, friendship, and finding one’s path.