Castles in the Sand

Sally John
Harvest House Publishers (2006)
ISBN 0736913173
Reviewed by Shaley Melchior for Reader Views (1/07)

Once in a very long time, a book comes along that has the ability of touching hearts, changing lives, and inspiring hope. "Castles in the Sand" is one such book. It is not just another beach read, as one would guess by looking at the cover, but a profound, inspiring read of a family torn apart, and the long road home.

Kenzie Starr is a pastor's daughter. Her father, Drake, has a rapidly expanding church, and her mother, Susan, is the picture-perfect submissive wife. Kenzie, however, can see the underlying current of hypocrisy running through the family, and decides to be her own person, not who her father and mother think she should be. This, for most of her teenage years, involves dressing in black, having piercings, and running with a somewhat wild crowd. Although her parents, or rather, her father, greatly disapprove, they still embrace their daughter to some extent.

All this changes, however, when Kenzie announces her pregnancy, and the fact that she is not planning on marrying the father any time soon. Her father goes, well, ballistic. He throws her out of the house, into the pouring rain, and says she is no longer welcome in his house. Her mother, who has immense love for her only daughter, disagrees with his decision, but in her quest to be the perfect, submissive pastor's wife, she feels she has no choice but to abide by his decision.

As time goes on, however, Susan misses her daughter more and more, and Drake and Susan's already shaky marriage seems to virtually crumble. She flees to the beach house they usually rent in the summer, and slowly feels herself thaw out, and regain a sense of self, with the help of her daughter's boyfriend's family, her relatives, and a zany Bible study group.

The characters in this book feel true-to-life, and really became real people and friends to me before I finished it. I laughed, cried, and felt for Drake, Susan, Kenzie, and all involved with them. The book, which comes from a "Christian" publisher, intertwines faith-based aspects, without becoming preachy or overdone, as so many inspirational books are. I found “Castles in the Sand” s to be a very well-rounded read, just be sure to keep a box of tissues handy!

Make comment on weblog