On The Treshold by Christina Berry Tarabochia and Sherrie Ashcraft, Ebook review

 

Paperback Publisher: Ashberry Lane (May 1, 2013)

ISBN-13: 978-0989396714

or

E Book  Publisher: Ashberry Lane (May 1, 2013)

ASIN: B00CLOAHK6

Synopsis:

Suzanne-a mother with a long-held secret. Tony-a police officer with something to prove. Beth-a daughter with a storybook future. When all they love is lost, what's worth living for? Suzanne Corbin and her daughter, Beth Harris, live a seemingly easy life. Suzanne has distanced herself from her past, replacing pain with fulfillment as a wife and mother, while Beth savors her husband's love and anticipates the birth of their child. But all that is about to change. 

Like a sandcastle buffeted by ocean waves, Suzanne's façade crumbles when her perfect life is swept away. Tragedy strikes and police officer Tony Barnett intersects with the lives of both women as he tries to discover the truth.

Left adrift and drowning in guilt long ignored, Suzanne spirals downward into paralyzing depression. Beth, dealing with her own grief, must face the challenge of forgiveness. Can these two women learn to trust each other again? Will they find the power of God's grace in their lives?

Here are my thoughts:


For some reason the cover stirred some form of kindred spirit, perhaps it was the colour (my favourite) or the door itself (you never know what is behind and are we not all at least a bit curious)...
I first spotted a review of this novel on author Carla Stewart's blog and was intrigued by its dramatic synopsis, and the opportunity to win the Ebook version, simply a temptation I could not resist!

Let me first say Carla Stewart's in depth interview of both mother and daughter was excellent and well worth a moment for you to check out!

Back to 'On The Treshold'...I am not usually attracted to contemporary novels and this one is  going to be the sort you either like immensely or dislike intensively! 
There is nothing wrong with the style of writing, mind you but the highly emotionally charged plot line brings it an edge hard to ignore. 

On one hand you have happily married Beth, who hopes to be someday a mum despite a history of repeated miscarriages. I never heard of Vanishing Twin Syndrome until today and learned something new yet again!
This character shines with her faith and despite tragic circumstances, finds the will to go on. Beth is not perfect by all means but I sympathized all heartily with her reactions particularly as she deals with her mother's lack of sensitivity.
Beth' strength, her determination to survive and to find joy around her, her willingness to forgive makes her beautiful, a true Christian.

On the other end, you have Suzanne, her mother. She too is hit by tragic circumstances beyond her control, but has little faith and is emotionally dependent on others.
I think I disliked this character from the moment she denied comfort to her daughter, thinking instead of her own need. It does not stop there either and I found myself hard put to be charitable.
Despite my wish to be fair and not to judge, I found myself wondering how a mother could simply walk out on her child and use emotional baggage to justify her attitude.

Perhaps the plot line was to effectively balance the weakness and the strength in both main protagonists, highlighting Christian compassion and forgiveness as shown in sub characters as well. 

My feelings were however ambivalent and in the end, I wish I could have cut the book in two and made it just Beth's story...

3 Stars.

About the Authors:

Mother and foster parent, Christina Berry carves time to write from her busy schedule because she must tell the stories that haunt her every waking moment. (Such is the overly dramatic description of an author's life!) She holds a BA in Literature, yet loves a good Calculus problem, as well. Her debut novel, The Familiar Stranger, releases from Moody in September and deals with lies, secrets, and themes of forgiveness in a troubled marriage. A moving speaker and dynamic teacher, Christina strives to Live Transparently--Forgive Extravagantly!
Her work has also appeared in The Secret Place, The Oregonian, and Daily Devotions for Writers.

Sherrie Ashcraft has been interested in writing since she was a young child, but it wasn't until her late 40's that she started doing something about it. Since then she has written On the Threshold with her daughter, Christina Berry Tarabochia, had a devotional published in The Secret Place, hosted The Mother Blog (sherrieashcraft.blogspot.com), and contributes a monthly column for women to her church newsletter.

Married to the same man for forty-two years, Sherrie has worked as a foreign missionary, a teacher, and a nurse specializing in Alzheimer's care. She currently is the women's ministry director for a church in western Oregon. She and John are parents of two, grand parents of eight, and the great-grandparents of one.
Sherrie loves to speak for women's events and retreats, where her over-developed sense of humor and her quest to show how practical God's word is, intersect.

Note to Readers:

Thank you to Christina and Sherrie for the gift of the Ebook! Please remember positive reviews are never requested and as always, offers ONLY my opinion!