Unbound is a fascinating fictional read that explores many themes, among them self-concept, sorrow, sin, God’s forgiveness and grace. One of my favorite lines is: “What was it about sorrow that made people insist their grief was unique, worse than anyone else’s.”
Ruthie Adrian has been living her dream life, but when that life is ripped from her, she feels she is paying for past sins. The mother-in-law she has always seen as a stable woman, suffers similar misconceptions. Both women have secrets that the author skillfully unravels as the narrative progresses.
The novel shows the story through the eyes of a very diverse array of characters, and their reactions to crises. They add tension to the plot, and raise the stakes considerably, keeping the reader wondering how much worse things can get before there is resolution.
A constant in the book is Ruthie’s passion: her alpacas…her biddies. They become a MacGuffin (something that reflects much that is happening in the story; it could have been told without them, but they add insight). The animals offer simple comfort, as well as a connection to the past, a distraction in the present, and a hope for the future.
The author has skillfully created this tale as a modern-day parallel to the biblical story told in the book of Ruth, with enough similarity to be recognizable, but enough variance to stand on its own.
Unbound is a thought-provoking book that leaves the reader considering the many themes that affect us all, and with the strong hope that God’s grace can change even the most dismal circumstances into opportunities for grace.
Five stars! *****
A fascination with the intersection of people and God’s Word inspires Eleanor Bertin’s fiction. Like the under-renovation century home in Alberta where she lives with her husband and youngest son, God is at work in her life and the lives of her characters.
See her website at eleanorbertinauthor.com
Read my interview with Eleanor.