Suzanne Zimmerman was pushed out of her mother's home, and their conservative Amish community, when she was found to be pregnant outside wedlock. She never returned home, but stayed true to her roots by becoming a nurse in Amish mission hospital. She tried to do her best as a single mother, and her daughter grew up to be a well mannered and spiritual young adult. 19 years after leaving, Suzanne is called back home to take care of her mother who has become a paraplegic. Her daughter, eager to meet the family she has never known, begs to come with her. Most of Suzanne's family do not know the real reason Suzanne left, and none know the true story that has kept Suzanne separated from her family and community all these years.
So, there is a whole subgenre of literature based on ultra-traditional religious groups like the Amish and Mennenites. We have at least two rather lenghthy series in my little library in the Religious Fiction section, so I thought I would try one out. It is a sensitive look at a family trying to heal old wounds. I kept expecting there to be a romance, but there isn't one. The pacing is a little slow, but I appreciated that the author aknowleged that deep family rifts don't heal over-night. It was an uplifting read, but not a very gripping or exciting one. I am not sure if I will read another one soon. (2014, 334 p)
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