Book Review: Though Waters Roar

I stumbled upon this book quite accidentally. Whenever Trevor receives a Scholastic Book Clubs catalog, I have him go through and circle all the books that tickle his fancy. Then, I look on-line to see which ones I could obtain through the library, and purchase a few of the ones not offered there. In January, he circled Robert Munsch's book, Roar. When I looked it up, the library also offered up Lynn Austin's novel, Though Waters Roar. Loving the title, I had to read more of the specifics. The description hooked me and I requested it to be held for me (so much better than having to wander the shelves with a four and six year old in tow.

I believe I have found a new author to explore. This was a fabulous book. It contained a mixture of interesting, flawed characters in difficult situations, and quite a bit of history. I was thrilled to read that Lynn Austin has won Christy Awards for five other novels. In fact, when I searched for the Amazon link and read other reviewers, many said that this book, while good, isn't even her best. Great!

The title obviously refers to a passage of Scripture taken from Psalms:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their swinging." Psalm 46: 1-3

The story brings these verses to life as it follows four generations of women and the troubles they encounter, as well as the strength they find.

Harriet Sherwood, the narrator, always wanted to follow in her Grandmother Bebe's footstep, but now she finds herself incarcerated for the very activity her grandmother rallied against. As she sits in jail, she contemplates the extensive back-story to her life, outlining her great-grandmother's activities with the Underground Railroad, her grandmother's troubled marriage to a man of wealthy social standings and her own mother's difficulty finding a place and a voice. These characters were strong in the midst of adversity (from dangerous runaway slave transport to quiet vigils of prayer outside of taverns) and held passionately to their convictions and their faith in God.

My chief complaint with Christian novels tends to be that authors too often place the message they wish to communicate above the importance of quality story line. At times, it did feel like Lynn Austin pushed her faith message a bit too vocally, however her story was certainly strong enough to carry the message without any extra push.

I couldn't put this book down. It was thoroughly compelling and I found myself thanking the Lord for my own trials because the story so clearly demonstrated the presence of God in the midst of overwhelming circumstances. The historical details were absorbing and the characters were real.

I can't wait to pick up another Lynn Austin novel! It looks like it is going to be a great year of reading for me.