A.D. 30

A different look

Ted Dekker is my favorite author, so my review comes with a certain bias. Reading this book comes with a certain expectation, as well.

I do not often read historical fiction. Perhaps this comes from the painful memory of history classes. While this story definitely has Dekker's fingerprints all over it, I found that I was not blown away as I expected to be. The are long sections of narrative that I would get bogged down—not a characteristic found in his past work. However, the writing contained his signature flow that keeps me reading, but large segments felt like they would lend themselves more to a non fiction book about the teaching of Jesus rather than a novel. If I rated the book solely for the story, I would give it three stars.

The reason Dekker is my favorite author is that he challenges me to think with his stories. He has a way of describing what I have at times experienced as a heart and mind experience. Once again, he hit that mark. Dekker paints a picture of what it is like to trust in God as a loving father. He shows how really grasping the reality of God's love changes a person in mind and soul. He also shows how the experience can fade and how one can wonder if the experience and knowledge is real. I found this to be encouraging as I find myself in that position again and again. This is a five star message, although there are some details that I see differently.

In the end, this story is sticking with me and is challenging my thinking even though I struggled through this book at times. It has me looking talking with God intimately about the details and looking for more understanding in trusting him and following him. That is what I want most in a book.