Intriguing and Powerful

by Jeannine DeGeorges

July 24, 2012

I recently had the opportunity to read the enthralling novel The Widow of Saunders Creek. I was intrigued by the premise of the book. Author Tracey Bateman ventures into unusual territory for a novel. She bravely deals with the powerful topic of spiritual battle.

When Corrie, a young widow still grieving the loss of her Army hero husband, moves to her late husband's family home in the Ozarks, she is captivated by what she senses to be her husband's spirit living in the home. Reluctant to let go of her relationship with her beloved, Corrie is seduced by the idea promulgated by many in the family and geographical area that spirits of loved ones can come back after death and communicate with the living. Corrie's late husband's cousin, Eli, is a devout Christian pastor who believes only what the Bible tells us about spirits: they are either angels or demons. And he believes that the spirit that is "visiting" Corrie is disguising itself as her beloved Jarrod.

The book is quite chilling, but the message is clear. I have been doing a bit of reading on spiritual battles of late, and that is why this novel appealed to me. It clarified, in an straightforward way, some issues that the nonfiction books belabored. I was grateful for its clear stance.

Told in the first person, alternately by Corrie and Eli, the story was interesting, with the expected ups and downs of this genre, along with a couple of surprises I never expected. Corrie was likable enough, as was Eli, although I thought that sometimes their interactions were a bit sarcastic -- while that intended to show a burgeoning closeness, it sort of put me off. Additionally, there is an instance or two where Corrie reflects on her intimate relationship with her late husband, although this is extremely mild.

Tracey Bateman has written an engaging novel that possesses just the right balance of intrigue, relationships, and a strong Christian message that many are afraid to tackle.

Read the first chapter here!

WaterBrook Multnomah kindly provided me a free copy of this book as part of its Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.