About
Deputy Benjamin Patil is the one to find the infant girl--hours old, abandoned in a field. When the mother ecan't be located, Ben and his wife, Abbi, seem like the perfect couple to serve as foster parents. But the baby's arrival opens old wounds for Abbi and shines a harsh light on how much Ben has changed since a devastating tour in Afghanistan. Their marriage teeters on the brink and now they must choose to either reclaim what they once had or lose each other forever.
The Author
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Photo by: Wendy Voorhis Christa Parrish
A winner of Associated Press awards for her journalism, Christa Parrish now teaches literature and writing to high school students, is a homeschool mom, and lives near Saratoga Springs, New York. She is the author of Home Another Way, finalist for the...
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Reviews
"This is the second novel by Christa Parrish. Her first novel, Home Another Way, was a finalist for the ECPA Christian Fiction Book of the Year. In this novel, an infant girl is found in an abandoned field in Beck County, South Dakota. Ben and his wife Abbie, who have been trying to start a family, become the foster parents of the baby. This becomes very difficult for Abbi who withdraws from the child. She is hiding a secret from Ben that she can't have children of her own because of a mishap in her teens. Matthew Savoie, a deaf teenager, happens to knock on Abbi's door looking for odd jobs. A friendship begins between Matthew and Ben and Abbi. Just as Abbi accepts baby Silvia, and looks forward to adopting her, Matthew discovers who the birth mother of the child is. What transpires next creates an exciting ending to the story. Rating: 4"
--PD, Libraries Alive
"Their marriage was crumbling even before Ben was sent to Afghanistan and wounded, because Abbi had secrets and wanted to live life on her own terms, while expecting her husband to be 100 percent devoted. But when Deputy Sheriff Ben Patil discovers a newborn abandoned in the fields of South Dakota during a routine patrol, he convinces Abbi they should foster her with hopes of adopting, and of renewing their marriage. Matthew Savoie, a teen math genius with serious health issues living in an unhappy foster-care situation who hopes to earn enough money to visit his father in New York, asks Abbi if he can work odd jobs, and is gradually drawn into their lives. Parrish's contemporary Christian novel ambitiously tackles, but doesn't resolve, several weighty social issues, and readers who expect accuracy will find her scenarios unrealistic. But those looking for a fast-paced melodrama centered on a Christian faith journey will find much of interest."
--Lynne Welch, Booklist, October 15, 2009
"Parrish's deft characterization pulls readers into a storyline filled with raw emotion. At first it's unclear how the third character fits into the plot, but when it's revealed, the story comes together seamlessly for an unforgettable conclusion.
"Deputy Benjamin Patil's life changes when he finds a baby in a paper bag and he and his wife, Abbi, take the child into their home. But this home is anything but happy. Benjamin suffers from depression after a traumatic tour of duty in Afghanistan, and Abbi hides her secrets and pain in an eating disorder. But their love for the baby bridges the gap between them, forcing them to confront themselves and their marriage. What happens if they find the baby's mother?"
4 stars
--Chandra McNeil, Romantic Times Book Reviews, October 2009
"This novel has lots of story threads--an abandoned baby, an eating disorder, a failing marriage, an unloved teen. Christa Parrish redeems those gritty plot elements with a story about grace for troubled people with messy lives. She has drawn believable Christian characters who face marital discord and personal demons--and try to cope with them on their own strength. The facade they've built keeps others from knowing how deep is their despair--and it takes an infant to begin to turn them outward. Throughout the novel the main characters run from God, but Parrish shows (not tells) how God pursues them, even through terrible heartache. She writes with sensitivity and grace."
--Susan Olasky, World, October 24, 2009