I know, some of you are gasping because I’ve posted twice in a three day time-span–almost like the old days when next to my blog it said, “posts at least three times a week.”

This is due to two things: 1) I’m going on five days of fever and so there is little expectation on me from my family. Not cooking or cleaning or driving. Mostly, I’m lying in bed, sleeping, reading, or watching movies. Or coughing. Or aching and chilling. If it weren’t for the last three items this time might seem almost like a vacation.

2) Due to the reason above I finally read Wrapped in Rain, recommended by my friend, Heather, who has great taste in books. Honestly, the book looked a little sad and as you can tell by my recent posts life has pushed on me lately. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a sad book. I kept asking her why she wanted me to read it. “It has beauty,” she said. “You love beauty.” So yesterday when I couldn’t sleep one more minute and needed to get my mind off the aches that have been ravaging my body, I picked up the book, mostly so I could tell Heather I did.

I’m so glad.

This is one of the most beautiful and redemptive stories I’ve read in a long time. And I have a new author to add to my favorites’ list: Charles Martin.

I’ll try not to gush and cry and tell you every little detail like I’ve done as I tormented my poor husband with this morning. (He’s so patient, especially considering he’s not much of a fiction reader.) At one point I got so worked up that my eleven-year old wanted to know which of our friends I was talking about. Then he realized the people were simply characters in a story. :o)

Like many great books, the first chapter didn’t instantly engage me, so if you pick this one up and feel the same, persevere! Thankfully the prologue drew me in, so I was willing to push through the first chapter, which though eloquent, plodded a bit (for my taste.) What the first chapter did do, however, was help me learn Martin’s rhythm. Once I eased into his pace of highly descriptive writing and beautiful metaphors, I enjoyed the book more completely.

Chapter two hooked me, however, and soon I was immersed in the world Martin created. I’m a sucker for little boys and spunky old women filled with the power of Jesus, so that helped. The story revolves around Tucker’s return to his childhood home. Thanks to the disappearance of his brother from a mental hospital and the appearance of an old girlfriend who’s sporting a black eye and a five-year old son, Tucker is forced to stay there and face his tragic past.

You just read the word tragic and so you know why I thought this book would be sad. In places it wasn’t just sad, it was awful, but this is not a sad book. It is a redemptive book where love truly conquers. And while there is a gentle romance, it’s not the romantic love that conquers. It’s the determined and faithful love of a surrogate mother whose legacy lives on even after she’s gone, and the innocent, new love of a little boy.

Once you get past the first few chapters, the book really begins to move. It’s a strong story written with intensity and beauty. What makes this book so powerful is the voice of Miss Ella Rain, the housekeeper who gave up her life to raise Tucker and his brother. Though dead, Mama Ella’s voice often resonates in Tucker’s thoughts, pushing him to heal, love, and move forward.

To me, Miss Ella’s voice sounded a whole lot like the Holy Spirit. But because Ella is such a vibrant character, that fact that is written as her voice takes the religion out of the book and replaces it with relationship. In my opinion, toward the end her voice and the Voice of the Holy Spirit really do become one, but it is subtle and I’m not completely sure if this was the author’s intent. Let me know what you think when you read it.

I recommend a lot of books on this site. This is one of the best. While I’ve read many books I’ve loved in the last twelve months, if I could only pick two to recommend, it would be this one and Lisa Bergren’s Begotten. (My personal interview with Lisa is what you’ll get when you click that link. Check it out. If I may brag, Lisa said my interview with her was her favorite. ;-))

Why these two books? Martin writes with a rare beauty that feeds my soul and a depth that feeds my spirit–and Lisa’s book was one of those “such a time as this” books for me that helped me go the next place God was leading. Each took me somewhere strong, and real, and beautiful.

Another plus to Wrapped in Rain is how it strengthened my faith in the power of prayer and increased my own desire to wear worn-out places on the floor where I’ve prayed for my children. Don’t miss Martin’s tribute to his mom and her prayer life at the back of the book. That alone is worth the purchase price.