A Flicker of Light

I really enjoyed this author's first novel (""""The Sowing Season""""), but didn't find this novel quite as engaging. I think perhaps it the characters and scenes were just a little too mundane and everyday. But on the other hand, that is also the strength of this novel - it is so real and relatable. A sweet and poignant story of a multi-generational family facing both the pending loss of the grandmother, and the birth of the first grandchild.

A Flicker of Lights is a strong and thought-provoking family drama. I once read that all great characters have a secret, and the characters in A Flicker of Lights certainly have secrets, and those secrets provide the basis for the novel. \\n\\nIt's an easy read with no high angst (I don't like angst for the sake of angst). But there are plenty of problems and plenty of emotion. There are real characters with real problems - unemployment, unplanned pregnancy, death, dementia. But it's through the problems that the characters grow emotionally and spiritually, reminding readers that there is always a way through the hard times, even if it doesn't always look like what we'd expected. \\n\\nA Flicker of Light doesn't have the rose-coloured glasses of many novels set in small towns. Bea especially is all too aware of the downsides of small-town living. But there are also moments of levity-a cat named Steve, the busybody neighbour, the small-town """"moosevine"""". \\n\\nI think that's what I liked about it. It was realistic without being depressing. In fact, it was ultimately uplifting-which is what I want in a novel. \\n\\nRecommended for readers looking for a realistic yet uplifting Christian novel that's not a romance. \\n\\nThanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.