Wish

by Andrea Renee Cox

When I first saw Wish on the shelf at LifeWay, I knew I had to read it. But since I'd never read a book by Jake Smith before, I didn't know what to expect. Would the story hold up to the expectations the back cover presented?

The main character, James McConnell, wishes his nine-year-old son could play a game of catch with him in the backyard, but remission is over and the leukemia is back to ravage its way through little Aaron's body. One day, Aaron makes a wish that James had long put to bed: that James would have the opportunity to play in a major league baseball game. Can James set aside his fatherly desires and make his son's dying wish come true? Or will he selfishly soak in as many days by Aaron's side as possible? Most importantly of all, will either path lead to the end of Aaron's misery—and will that end be what all of the McConnells hope for?

As I was reading Wish, there were a couple things that disappointed me, and I'll only touch on them briefly here before I get to the things I loved about it. First, James and his wife coped with Aaron's cancer using humor (which I liked), but it came across as over the top at first. Positive note: This settled out just a few chapters in and remained steady for the rest of the book, becoming quite enjoyable and a great reprieve from the emotional roller coaster that comes with a “cancer book.” Second, there were large paragraphs of description that came at odd times for me. These were mostly in the first third of the book, but once the story got rolling, everything seemed to flow better. Third, it seemed like the spiritual message of the book got lost throughout the baseball scenes, which was the entire middle of the book. I felt the spiritual message came through perfectly in the beginning and end, though, and it was written beautifully and in a way that will encourage a wide variety of people who may be struggling to cope with difficult situations in their lives.

All of those slight disappointments aside, Wish was a magnificent emotional journey with a powerful message of hope. The journey Aaron took with his cancer, the one James took through the world of baseball, and the family and friends that supported both of them along the way created such a masterpiece of searching for peace in tumultuous times that it left me breathless and crying in a very good way. There were plenty of times when my heart ached with the same frustration and confusion as James faced over his son's condition. Other times, I found myself urging him on in his personal journey toward contentment with the hard path God had placed him on. When I reached the end of the book and read the brief epilogue, I couldn't hold back the tears.

The message about cancer research and the search for donors for those on waiting lists came through strong, and I hope it inspires many readers to head to the website BeTheMatch.org. Could you be a match for a child waiting for a transplant?

Even if you're not a fan of baseball, this book's emotional journey is a must-read. And you may even learn a thing or two about the game, just like Dr. Barna!