Like Dandelion Dust
by Karen Kingsbury
Neither this book’s cover nor the copy on the back enthused me to read it. I’m a guy and am drawn most to books that promise some excitement, whether that be through physical action or (preferably) a mind-thumping, heart-racing thriller. So this book sat on my desk for two weeks and I regarded it much as I might have a vulture that was sitting there, rasping, "Read me." I wound up taking it to Boy Scout camp (I was a sponsor) where I …
read it in one day!! In fact, I almost finished it before lunch.
Now, some people make a determination between writers and storytellers. Those who do so generally praise writers more. I prefer a good storyteller, myself; because good writing—even great writing—doesn’t hold my interest if there’s no story there. Kingsbury is a simple writer and a GREAT storyteller. (Notice: I didn’t say "but a great writer"; to write simply is a gift many writers don’t have—and which modern publishing sometimes frowns on.)
The Story
Molly and Jack Campbell have everything. Great house in a fancy neighborhood, high-paying job, and a beautiful little boy named Joey. Things just absolutely couldn’t get any better.
Until it’s discovered that Joey’s birth mother forged the signature of Joey’s birth father, so the adoption was a fraud. Joey has never known anyone else as his parents, but suddenly he’s being thrust into a volatile household of people he’s never met and, especially, a father who doesn’t know how to show love without violence.
Molly and Jack begin to explore every option they have for keeping Joey, even some fraud of their own. Hovering around the edges of all this drama is God. Joey believes in Him, Joey's cousins believe in Him, even Molly and Jack claim to believe that there is a god, but will they trust him to work this out? Can they give up their son to save their son?
The Writing
As I stated above, Karen Kingsbury is a great storyteller. After my initial reaction to the cover, discovering what was on the inside was like going to a restaurant that appears to serve only your least favorite food, only to discover they make your favorite dish to perfection.
Like a good meal, I walked away not just satisfied, but happy. I was pleased with how the story had carried me along and how it had been resolved.
