Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce

Reviewed by Rel Mollet

"Readers who want to read a pretty and formulaic novel will not find what they are looking for in this story, but those wanting a dose of realism in their reading will be more than satisfied."

"...I preferred books to playmates. I spent recess sitting on the detention wall reading Nancy Drew mysteries and Anne of Green Gables."

Amy Gallagher's passion for words began at a young age and was her avenue of escape from a speech impediment, her father's desertion and the responsibility of her baby brother while their mother worked to support her young children. Determined to become a renowned author, Amy leaves a respectable job and pursues a Master's degree. But as the years pass and rejections build up, Amy's dreams stagnate.

Uninspired by the way her life has turned out, Amy is challenged by Eli Moretti, an artist and friend to her room mate Zoe, who comes to live with them due to Zoe's charitable tendancies. Eli's very appearance, from his second hand clothes, heavy silver rings and Celtic tattoo, offends Amy's sense of propriety, yet his innate confidence attracts her to the man he might be beneath the vagabond appearance.

As Amy reevaluates her choices in life and the basis of her faith, she confronts her fears, religiosity and relationships from a new perspective.

Bethany Pierce's novel is an honest revelation of the life of an almost thirty year old single Christian woman grappling with the pressures of disappointment, temptation and the long lasting impact of her parent's divorce when she was a child. Bravely taking on subject matter often ignored in Christian Fiction, Bethany enables the reader to journey with Amy as she examines her didactic religious upbringing, is attracted physically and emotionally to a man whose faith looks different to hers, and faces the truth behind her father's desertion of his family. While the story laboured a little for me in the middle, Bethany Pierce does not assume or state the obvious. Instead, she uses subtle prose and underlying implications to stimulate and challenge the reader to ponder the real life issues most of us struggle with, whether we are willing to admit it or not.

Readers who want to read a pretty and formulaic novel will not find what they are looking for in this story, but those wanting a dose of realism in their reading will be more than satisfied. I look forward to more novels willing to stretch the boundaries by this young and talented author.

Rel Mollet is a lawyer, wife and mother of three young daughters and lives in Melbourne, Australia. Reading has been her passion since childhood. She is a Book Club Co-ordinator and has her own website ~ relzreviewz ~ dedicated to reviews and author interviews with the sole aim to support authors writing from a Christian worldview. She believes Sir Francis Bacon's (1561 - 1626) creed, "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body".