The Beach House A beach house in San Diego provides the setting for the reunion of childhood best friends Jo, Andie, Molly and Char. A feeling of homesickness while looking at an old photograph prompts Jo to invite the group to California to rekindle their friendship. The women celebrate their fortieth birthdays together. The friends have all but drifted apart in the twelve years that have slipped by since they were last together at Molly’s wedding. Although they feel delighted to reconnect, getting away doesn’t bring the escape from everyday life that they expected. Their past link is influenced by their present situations. The once spunky Andie has faded into a fearful, mousy person under the influence of disparaging husband Paul. Molly and Scott are redefining their marriage now that the former stay-at-home mom and pastor’s wife works outside the home as a substitute teacher. A single doctor, Jo struggles to keep from drowning her guilt about past career and relationship choices with alcohol. Neglected dentist’s wife and mother Char seems to be overly friendly with her next door neighbor, Todd. While the beach house setting encourages readers to visit, it is John’s characters who invite them to stay. Jo, Andie, Molly and Char seem like real women with real problems readers can relate to and learn from in their own daily lives. Upon finding herself in a predicament that she doesn’t like yet believes to be God’s will, Molly prays, “Change my heart. Please change my heart.” As Andie attempts to check off items on her “Adventure List,” she hears in her spirit, “All you have to do is let go.” John uses her characters’ conflicts to share her faith with her audience in a situational rather than preachy way. What Christian fiction often aims at but struggles to do, John seems to accomplish with ease. This conversational style not only keeps the reader turning pages but also empowers readers to consider and listen for spiritual solutions to their own problems. John creates a delightfully inviting setting, endearing main characters, intriguing secondary characters and a faith-based story with a message that lingers long after the last page. Fans of women’s contemporary Christian fiction will find “The Beach House” a satisfying read. |
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