Bookish Thursday - The Dark Side of Grace by Ronald Chapman

Ok...another book review for WOW-Women on Writing and a bit of a true confession time. 

Normally, when I agree to do a book review, I hold off reading the book until the week before. That way my impressions are fresh in my mind. And believe me, it doesn't take much to knock things out of my mind. 

About 3 weeks ago, I got bored and decided to starting reading The Dark Side of Grace. It was earlier than I liked to read a book, but I figured I could deal with it. And at only 235 pages, it would be an afternoon read.

NOT!

First off, let me say the story itself is good and timely, based on things going on in the world. Very relevant. Second, I could only read a couple of chapters at a time. I had to stop to absorb the ideas being presented. And third, I'm still thinking about it.

Basically, the story is a journalist and his girl friend witness a domestic terrorist bombing and try to figure out the 'why' behind it. However, that's like saying an iceberg is just a piece of ice. There is so much more. And since they come to North Carolina from New Mexico, the characters are now stomping around in my neck of the woods. 

Woven into the story (and I will be going back and reading the first book in the series) is about not judging a person or situation, but simply observing. There is a lot about PTSD and not only surviving trauma, but learning from it and moving forward in a positive way. The main character, Kevin, is also a recovering alcoholic and uses his AA meetings as more of a touchstone to stay grounded. 

Having gone through some trauma in my life and having a friend who has gone through major traumas in her life, plus being a true crime junkie and seeing killers blaming their past trauma for their current crimes, so much of the story hit home. Because instead of her trauma turning her into a serial killer, my friend, despite all the things which were done to her in the past, is one of the best people I have ever known. 

There are so many things in the book which have resonated with me and have kept me coming back to some of the concepts presented in the story. 

But don't take my word for it. Check out Ronald Chapman's website and read the book. While it might not change your life, it will make you stop, and look, and think. And sometimes that's what we need to do.