The Painted Table

The Painted Table isn't a conventional novel. Rather, it is selecting vignettes through Joann and Saffee's lives that show the family story. As a result, at times it feels as though nothing is happening. It's a curious technique, more literary than genre and sometimes it's difficult to tell whether the main character in the story is Joann, Saffee, or mental illness. This lack of clarity around plot and character did mean the story dragged in places, as I was wondering when something was going to happen. \\r\\nI wanted to like The Painted Table. The writing is different to what we normally see in Christian fiction, and part of me wanted to like the more literary style. And I wanted to like it because it's different, not the typical western or Amish romance that makes up so much of Christian fiction. I wanted something that was a little more challenging, but that I would find ultimately rewarding. It had potential, but in the end I didn't enjoy it because there was too little plot, too little character development, and too much theme. \\r\\nThanks to Thomas Nelson and Booksneeze for providing a free ebook for review.