Title: Even So by Lauren B. Davis
Publisher: Dundurn
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
A novel that explores the challenge and necessity of loving difficult people.
Angela Morrison has it all. She’s married to a wealthy man, adores her son, grows orchids, and volunteers at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. What more could she want? More ― much more. And she’s willing to risk everything after meeting Carsten, the landscaper with the glacier-blue eyes.
Sister Eileen, who runs Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, struggles with the silence of God and harbours a secret she believes is unforgivable. She yearns to convince Angela she is loved by God, despite her selfishness and destructive behaviour, but in order for that to be authentic Eileen must learn to love her first, and that’s no easy task ― especially after Angela causes a terrible tragedy. Through the crucible of their relationship, Angela and Eileen discover how caring for the most difficult among us and practising forgiveness, no matter how painful, opens a door to the miracle of transformation.
Review:
Even So by Lauren B. Davis is a compelling novel of redemption.
Now in her mid-forties, Angela Morrison is increasingly dissatisfied with her life. She has lost interest in her husband and although they are wealthy, she yearns for something more. What that something is, Angela has no idea. She has a plethora of acquaintances but only one close confidant. Angela is a bit shallow and snobbish but she does volunteer once a week at the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. She likes Sister Eileen but they do not form an unlikely friendship of sorts until they begin planting a garden with landscaper Carsten Pilgaard. Angela is attracted to Carsten and she makes the first of a few bad decisions when she embarks on a torrid affair with him.
Angela’s only desire when she was younger is to have security. She marries Philip not out of love but out of her need to elevate herself out of poverty. For many years, she is content in her marriage, but with their son, Connor, off to boarding school, Angela becomes increasingly restless. She is not one for self-reflection so she does not give much thought to the consequences of her affair with Carsten. After a huge argument with Philip, Angela discovers the limitations of her illicit relationship and she makes a fateful choice that leads to her shocking downfall.
Sister Eileen works tirelessly helping others. But, for quite some time, she has been suffering a crisis of faith. Sister Eileen has made peace with much of her past yet she remains haunted (and horrified) by one stunning action that she just cannot let go. She is very observant and she knows exactly what her volunteer has been doing. Despite her inability to always like Angela, she does selflessly support and love her when Angela hits rock bottom and its aftermath.
Even So is a riveting novel that is spiritual without being preachy. Angela is not a likable character but it is not difficult to feel empathy for her as she struggles with the consequences for her decisions. Sister Eileen is flawed but this makes her much more realistic and easy to like. The storyline is engaging and moves at a steady pace. With unpredictable twists, Lauren B. Davis brings this thought-provoking story of grace to a surprising yet gratifying conclusion.
