From the TBR Pile: Blog Tour: Review of How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim

Author: Jolina Petersheim

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Date of publication: March 5, 2019

From the highly acclaimed author of The Outcast and The Alliance comes an engrossing novel about marriage and motherhood, loss and moving on.

When Ruth Neufeld’s husband and father-in-law are killed working for a relief organization overseas, she travels to Wisconsin with her young daughters and mother-in-law Mabel to bury her husband. She hopes the Mennonite community will be a quiet place to grieve and piece together next steps.

Ruth and her family are welcomed by Elam, her husband’s cousin, who invites them to stay at his cranberry farm through the harvest. Sifting through fields of berries and memories of a marriage that was broken long before her husband died, Ruth finds solace in the beauty of the land and healing through hard work and budding friendship. She also encounters the possibility of new love with Elam, whose gentle encouragement awakens hopes and dreams she thought she’d lost forever.

But an unexpected twist threatens to unseat the happy ending Ruth is about to write for herself. On the precipice of a fresh start and a new marriage, Ruth must make an impossible decision: which path to choose if her husband isn’t dead after all.

“A mother’s love and a mother’s duty war with a woman’s need to feel loved and whole, in a story that will have you pondering long after you close the final page.Which path would I take?” – Lisa Wingate, New York Times Bestselling Author of Before We Were Yours

“Petersheim’s gentle retelling of the story of Ruth will both stir and settle the hearts of her readers.” – Lauren K. Denton, USA Today bestselling author of The Hideaway and Hurricane Season

I have such mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it is a beautifully written story about grief and forgiveness. After her husband and father-in-law are killed overseas, Ruth comes to the US to bury them and live with her mother-in-law to try to heal herself and her two daughters. She is able to take the time to reflect on her marriage. She discovers a lot of truths about her marriage to Chandler and is able to reconcile her feelings on it. The characters were compelling, especially the quiet Elam. They were probably my favorite part of the whole book.

What I struggle with is the direction that the author took in the last third of the book. It just didn't sit well with me. Given everything, I'm not sure I would have chosen the same path that Ruth did. It's kind of hard to explain without giving anything away. I guess I felt a little set up. I didn't care for the twist at all. Overall, I would recommend trying this one out. It's one I think you need to judge for yourself.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Jolina Petersheim

Jolina Petersheim and her husband share the same unique Amish and Mennonite heritage that originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but they now live in the mountains of Tennessee with their three young daughters. Jolina’s fifth novel, How the Light Gets In, a modern retelling of Ruth set in a cranberry bog in Wisconsin, releases March 2019.

Connect with Jolina

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Jolina Petersheim’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, January 14th: Book by Book

Tuesday, January 15th: Running Through the Storms

Thursday, January 17th: From the TBR Pile

Friday, January 18th: Thoughts on This ‘n That – author Q&A

Monday, January 21st: Blooming with Books

Tuesday, January 22nd: Empowermoms

Wednesday, January 23rd: A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, January 24th: Broken Teepee