Reaching Out from the Inside

Michele Lewis
iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595454259
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (4/08)


“Reaching Out from the Inside” is a fictional story of a woman’s spiritual growth through some very rough issues.  Mare is a married high school teacher with a son that is still a toddler.  She has a relatively good marriage with her husband, but still finds herself having to work through some rough patches in their relationship.  Having the same goal of wanting to stay together, forever, helps them through those difficult moments.  The relationship issues in the story are very realistic and I think that most couples will find themselves being able to relate to the feelings that they are experiencing.  Mare and her husband go through some moments when the intimacy fades and they feel more like friends than lovers.  Some of this is triggered by a crisis that Mare is experiencing with her brother. 
    
Mare’s brother has been accused molesting some of the local boys whom he had close contact with.  Mare is devastated.  She has to work through her feelings about this, especially since she has some doubts about his innocence.  I found her thought processing to be realistic and thought provoking.  She doesn’t stop loving him, but she has to resolve the difficult feelings she experiences, plus she has to help her parents get through this and deal with the local people’s intrusion into her personal family matters.
    
As Mare’s life is headed down this path, she also has to deal with friends that are having their own personal issues.  Some of them are in crisis because of poor personal choices that they have made.  Others are being thrown into crisis because of poor choices that their mates are making.  Mare has to realize how much she can handle of the difficulties in her own life, in addition to how much she can help others.  She also discovers that in some ways, conflicts can be viewed as gifts to us because they teach us to grow within ourselves and to become stronger.  She learns that it is very easy to judge others about their behaviors when we have no idea what they might be dealing with in their lives.  Realizing these things helps her to become a more compassionate person.
    
Part of what is helping Mare evolve as a person is her dreams.  They range from surrealistic to very real.  Each one has a special message for her to help her understand her feelings and to help her grow.  She encounters a friend who helps her gain a better understanding of what she needs to learn.  The dream sequences add so much to Mare’s development.  I appreciated that the author used a special symbol to mark when Mare is in her dream states.  This cut down on confusion and helped the flow of the story.
     
“Reaching Out from the Inside” is a really interesting novel.  Being able to peek into Mare’s life and watch her spiritual growth helped provide me with many thought-provoking and introspective moments.  So in addition to having a great story to read, I also have a book that helps me with my own spiritual journey.  I actually looked forward to going to bed at night to see what I was going to dream!  This is definitely a must read for all.

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