My review of To Dance in the Desert by Kathleen Popa
Posted by:
Michelle Sutton on
March 3, 2008 at
10:32PM EST
About the book:
"Not a safe world." How many times had she heard it over and over
again? Well, it is not a safe world and Dara Murphy Brogan knew it
better than most, which is exactly why she had tucked herself away on a
desert mountaintop. Now it was just her, the voice inside her head and
the boxes of hastily packed odds and ends--all that was left of her
pathetic excuse of a life. Hadn't she chosen the desert because it was
barren and brown and dead looking and far, far away from anyone who may
have seen the news? So what was this, this trespasser, this interloper,
this whacked out earth mother doing dancing outside her window?
Celebrating life and the Spirit in a way Dara never could have dreamed.
Until she opened her door and met Jane Cameron.
My review:
This story is amazing. Strange in some ways, yet incredibly insightful
in others. Have you ever met someone who was very guarded and
stand-offish, almost skittish? The main character, Dara, is this type
of person. As you delve into her life you begin to understand the
complexity of her issues and her need for a savior. Dara is so lost.
Then she meets Jane, the wacky earth-mother who is not as crazy as she
seems at first. I loved experiencing Dara's quest for her biological
mother. Her deep pain and misplaced guilt shows how truly devastating
abandonment can be to a child, especially if the person who left is the
mom. Dara learned a lot about herself and grew through the course of
the story. She set aside her own needs to help others, yet still had
this wall around her heart. But a nagging voice in the wind would call
to her, especially when her pain seemed the most out of control. That
still small voice is one we all need to tune into. It just might turn
our lives around if we do.
To Dance in the Desert was published by Cook Communications and was released in May 2007.
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