I hate book reviews. They seem to be such a waste of time since chances are, I won’t read the book anyway.
That said, I’m going to review a book for you (insert laughter here).
The book is titled “The Atonement Child”. I picked it up out of bordom on Sunday at church, waiting for my husband to stop talking and we could go home. I finished it by 11pm that night (Thank you Adam! For letting me read!). It’s not heavy reading by any means, but it is a good book. And it has left a lasting impression on me, to say the least. It must have, right? After all, I’m writing a review on it.
It is about a girl who is attending a Christian college, living her life for the Lord as best she can. One night she is raped and becomes pregnant as a result. The story goes through her agony, rejection, fear and doubt on what to do. Should she get an abortion or not? Her anger and seperation from God is prevelent as well. I won’t spoil it for you and say much more about the plot, but the one main theme through out this story is one thing: redemption. The author, Francine Rivers, does a fantastic job at portraying the young woman’s fear and confusion. She has a “pro-loife” opionion, but never once does she come across as judgemental or critical towards those who have a different opinion. She prortray’s both types of people, on both sides very fairly. There are them who are brash, uncarrying, only thinking about the money aspect of abortion. And there are those who believe they are really helping women and participate for that reason.
Many different characters with in this story have been affected by abortion, in one way or another. And yet the love of Christ is lovingly expressed to them or they are reminded of it. The idea that Christ died for our sins and is waiting for us to except his desire for us to be redeemed, through faith and repentence, is woven through out the story, from begining to end. Scriptures are used very appropreatly and in a way that is like “real life”. And at the end of the book, there are words of encouragment and love from Christ, wanting those who have strayed from Him or have never been to Him or who can not/have not forgiven themselves for what may have happend to them. This is how this section begins: “Beloved, if this story has opened old wounds, please know that Jesus is waiting with open arms to welcome and comfort you as His own. There is nothing, absolutly nothing, that the Lord won’t forgive – or forget…..”
I’m not someone who cries easily ~ or at least I won’t let myself cry easily. There are several places within this story where tears could easily come (esp. if you are reading this with memories of your own). I thought I was doing pretty well, until I came to the end of the epilogue. The scene is the waiting room of an abortion clinic; a young girl and her boyfriend are there. She wants to go, but he convinces her that this is the only way out. This is what got me:
“He didn’t take her out of the clinic. He handed her over to the woman in the doorway with the clipboard in her hand. The woman smiled and said everything would be all right. Letting go of her, the boy stepped back and turned away. As the girl went forward, she loked back and knew she was alone. When the door closed, death surrounded her.
And into the silence and seperation that followed could be heard the weeping of God’s only begotten Son, the Atonement Child.”