Lizzie Engel is used to running away. At eighteen, she left her Mennonite hometown, her family, and her faith with plans never to return. Five years later, Lizzie finds she'll have to run again. False accusations at her job, a stalker, and a string of anonymous threatening letters have left her with no other options. This time, however, her escape is back to Kingdom, her hometown.
As Lizzie becomes reacquainted with Kingdom, she realizes she may not have left her Mennonite roots and her faith as firmly in the past as she thought. She draws on the support of Noah Housler, an old friend, as she hides out and attempts to plan her next steps.
When it becomes painfully clear that the danger has followed Lizzie to Kingdom, suspicions and tensions run high, and she no longer knows who to trust. With her life and the lives of those she loves at risk, Lizzie will have to run one last time--to a Father whose love is inescapable.
Review:
This book was refreshingly differant take of the Mennonite lifestyle. I really enjoyed this book, though it left me with a wondering about a few things.
Lizzie Engel and her daughter Charity, are wonderful characters in this book. Having been scorned by her family when she made a mistake, Lizzie leaves her Mennonite life behind her to raise her daughter. I found myself admiring Lizzie more and more as the story progressed. When she is plauged with some bad circumstances, she puts her negative feelings behind for the sake of her daughter, and returns home.
Charity brings an innocent, humorous view of life to the story. It not only gives the reader a refreshing view of some serious events, but adds a lot of humor to the book.
The mystery was definately enjoyable, and had some twist and turns that I didn't expect. Nothing predictable in this novel!
One thing I notices, and enjoyed, was that the story written was in the first person. I find (or haven't ever noticed) that most chic lit books are written in 3rd person. The reader is Lizzie, and it adds a depth to the story that I don't normally find. I applaud Nancy Mehl for her great writing.
One of the thigns I was wondering about was the romance angle in this book. Lizzie reconnects with an old friendof hers, and they start building a relationship. Now I know that there are some Mennonite commuities that are less stricts about rules, but can a Mennonite man (an elder I might add) have a relationship with a non-Mennonite woman? Although Lizzie was a Christian, she did not seem all that eager to jump back into the Mennonite way of life. Something I hope Nancy Mehl will address in the next book of the Kingdom series.
When you throw in some intrege and mystery, a bit of romance, and great characters, with a Mennonite twist, you have this Inescabable. I am excited for the next book in the series to continue Lizzie's story, and to get a unique view of the Mennonite lifestyle.
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
