My Father's House (Book Review)

It’s time for another book review & recommendation! First, you’ve got to know that I read a LOT of books. My goal is to read an average of one book per week. Since I’m also a writer, I’ve turned into a bit of a book critic. That being said, I want to tell you about a debut novel that I recently read and really enjoyed!

My Father's House by Rose Chandler Johnson is the story of a young woman who, when feeling abandoned by everyone close to her, jumped quickly into a marriage that she regretted. I enjoyed reading about her journey from the south (where my roots are!) to Detroit, and back again. The story was well-developed and showed many aspects of her family relationships and friendships. I felt like I knew the people in her life as well as the strangers she met along the way.

(Spoiler alert) In this novel, the author addresses the difficult topic of an abusive marriage. I’ll let you read it and form your own opinion, but I’ll also briefly say this: As a Christian I do believe that divorce is wrong. Yet I also believe that abuse is wrong, and it’s a tough spot to be in when a person is forced to choose between an abusive marriage or divorce. Years ago I sat in the 911 dispatch center where I worked, listening to the panic on the other end of the phone from people needing to get out of abusive homes, and I realized that we cannot be quick to judge. We must seek God’s wisdom in every single situation before drawing conclusions. He cares about His individual sons and daughters very, very much. I’ll let you read the story to find out exactly what happens.

As a writer of a self-published a book, I commend authors who self-publish a well-written and thoroughly-edited book, and My Father’s House was very good! Rose Chandler Johnson has also written a devotional book. I first “met” her on social media because she’s a friend-of-a-friend who kindly reached out to me when I launched my first book. I recommend this novel for several reasons: it’s an engaging read with a good story, it’s thought-provoking in the sense of “what would I do?”, and if you’re a Kindle reader, the price is right! I hope that this author continues to write fiction – because I will read it!

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Hi, I’m Betsy, and I live in the Washington, D.C. area with my husband, Mike. We have been married since 2008. We enjoy exploring new cities together on foot, eating at our favorite Italian restaurants, and doing life as a team. I published my first book Embracing Hope During Infertility in January 2015. You can learn more about me here. I invite you to connect with me by following my Hope During Infertility Facebook page or my Betsy Herman, Writer Facebook page. Thanks so much for reading my posts!