My Soul Cries Out by Sherri Lewis

Reviewed by C.J. Darlington

"Lewis is a talented new author who's breaking ground that's needed breaking for quite some time."

The worst day of my life was the day I caught my husband cheating on me.

That alone would be enough to throw even a strong woman into a tailspin. But the fact that Monica Harris-Day finds her worship-leader husband cheating with another man is an even greater shock. How could she have been so blind and not seen the signs? Should she divorce him on the spot? And why is their mega-church pastor so quick to look the other way?

Monica faces an emotional tempest in My Soul Cries Out. As a Christian woman she wants to do the right thing in God’s eyes, but it’s hard to know what that is in an age when Christians either pretend homosexuality doesn’t exist or cast the first stone. Just how are we supposed to react to situations like Monica’s? Should we make those caught in this sin leave our churches? Should we pretend we don’t know?

This is an edgy novel that compassionately deals with the issue of homosexuality in the church. There are no easy answers here, but by following Monica’s journey readers will start asking themselves the right questions. And that’s the first step toward understanding God’s point of view. Why is it that some sins are treated worse than others in the church? Why do we condemn gays to hell but allow gossip and envy? A relevant topic indeed.

Ms. Lewis doesn’t condone homosexuality in this novel. Sin is sin, and she makes sure we realize that. However, we’re also shown both sides of the issue through the pain of Monica’s husband.

Granted, there are scenes and phrases in the book you probably won’t find in your Mom’s Christian fiction. Sex is talked about openly several times. But even in those few eyebrow raising moments, you can tell Lewis took care not to push the envelope just because she could. Let’s be honest. Homosexuality does stretch the limits as a topic for Christian fiction.

It’s a heavy subject, but there are many lighter moments too, like Monica’s initial obsession with “Ben & Larry’s” ice cream and her subsequent health and fitness makeover, something all females will relate to. Monica is the woman next door dealing with some very real issues. She struggles. She falls. She gets back up again because she wants to please God.

In the vein of Claudia Mair Burney and Marilynn Griffith, My Soul Cries Out will be a breath of fresh air to those longing for a little more grit in their stories. Lewis is a talented new author who’s breaking ground that’s needed breaking for quite some time.

C.J. Darlington's first novel, Thicker Than Blood, was the winner of the 2008 Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest. Her second novel, Bound by Guilt, has recently released from Tyndale, and you can watch that trailer today! When she's not writing, she's reading. Her hobbies include horseback riding, oil painting, and book collecting. She is also a contributing editor at Family Fiction Magazine. Visit her online at her author website and at her blog where she talks about books, writing, and publishing. You can also look her up at Twitter and Facebook.