Book Review - Grace in Strange Disguise

So, after my last book review blog post, I was actually approached by an author who asked if I would be willing to review her debut novel. Of course, I said I would - and I'm so glad that I did! I was actually very intrigued by the title "Grace in Strange Disguise", but it fits the book so well. This book is about a girl named Esther. Esther is the daughter of the lead pastor of a megachurch in Sydney, Australia. She has a good career, has finally found a man that her parents approve of and life is going very well. Then she is shaken to her core with a diagnosis of breast cancer. This diagnosis brings about a crisis of faith in Esther's life. She comes to a defining moment where she seeks out Jesus for herself and learns more about the Bible in days than she had in the years prior, in spite of the years of living in a pastor's home. This book attacks some very deep questions such as "can I still trust in a loving God when crisis arises" and "how do I share my faith with those around me?".  Author Christine Dillon answers these through Esther's life and circumstances. This was an enjoyable read with well-developed characters and spiritual depth that brings additional thought.

One warning I was given by the author and will therefore also pass along - because the author is Australian, the grammar, spelling and speech nuances seem a bit foreign to me as an American. It did not detract from the story line, but I think that was because I was aware that it was coming. So, be mindful of that.

As in my last post, I spoke with the author after reading the book and got some additional information. One of the interesting pieces of information about the author is that she is actually a non-fiction writer by trade and by choice. She balked at the idea of writing a novel and she credits God with pushing her to the point of writing this one, and provided her with the encouragement she needed along the way, as well as editors and a cover designer (who she's known since she was 5 years old). In writing this story, she added in so many thoughts and ideas that her editor advised that this was actually one and a half books. She shelved some of the ideas originally intended for this book and ended up considering a trilogy. She now has ideas for 5 books, so this single venture is turning into a series. Each of the books is intended to stand alone, but will all focus on characters from this book, so this one set the stage!

In asking about characters, the author admitted that none of the characters are based on anyone she knows (and clarifies that Esther's father William is nothing like her own father - she gets asked that a lot!), but she herself relates well to Esther, Esther's friend Gina, Naomi (who shows up later in the book), and Joy, who works as a janitor (or cleaner as the Aussies say) at the chemo center. Gina, Naomi and Joy all pour into Esther's life and help her in her faith journey.

Other interesting tidbits about the author and her relation to the book. Esther is a physiotherapist by trade, which is a job that Christine used to have. The book is set in the 1990s as that is when she was in that job and knew the processes. It's always good to start with what you know with a debut novel! I also asked specifically why breast cancer. I have a very dear friend who was recently diagnosed, so this was a timely read for me in that regard. Christine chose this illness in order to honor her aunt who died of breast cancer. She also chose it because Esther was young at the time of diagnosis and that was one form of cancer that is no respecter of age.

Current work in progress is "Grace in the Shadows". I'm excited to see how this series continues!

For more information on this book or this author, feel free to check her out at:

https://www.storytellerchristine.com/

https://www.facebook.com/storytellerchristine/

https://www.pinterest.com/storytellerchristine/