My review of Fallen by Matthew Raley...
Posted by:
Michelle Sutton on
January 11, 2008 at
5:07PM EST
About the book:
In
this compelling novel that mirrors church scandals in the news today,
Jim, middle-aged bank manager, is torn between a desire to believe the
best and suspicion resulting from an apparent indiscretion by his
popular young pastor Dave.
My review:
Fallen
is a thought-provoking, page-turning novel that will cause you to see
things differently by book's end. As with peeling an onion, layer after
layer of deception is removed as the cover is stripped away and the
truth is exposed. The insight this author has is impressive.
The
process of uncovering the truth will make you question things. Sticking
with your convictions may be unpopular, but what is more important,
stating the truth or allowing sin to continue? It's hard to say much
more about this story because I don't want my review to be a spoiler
for the reader, but I can say that Fallen
truly exposes the darkest places in a man's heart. It also helps you to
see that sometimes Christians have ulterior motives based more on pride
than Christ.
You'll never see accountability in the same light
after reading this book. It's truly sad how warped things can get and
how easily deceived people can be. But in the end, if you allow God to
expose the sin in your heart, and you are willing to follow his lead,
change is possible. But humility is a key ingredient, because if you
don't think you've sinned then you have nothing to confess, right? This
book will blow your mind and stretch your thinking, trust me. I
especially appreciated how the author used the situation to make Jim
see how he'd hurt his own family and how he used that knowledge for the
benefit of the people he loved.
Fallen is published by Kregel and will be released in February 2008.
