*Triggers: Abortion & Religion

Okay, for starters I thought this book would be pretty bad, because of some reviews I had seen, I guess a mistake on my part. Instead, I'll learn to read the book first, (or die trying lol) and then form my opnion, and compare it to what others have to say.

Characters: I think the characters were well developed. Though a little more storyline and depth could've been given to Dynah (since she was the main character) I believe she was still a good heroine. At first glance, she seems like your average Christian girl, loves the Lord, the church, and other people; but things change real quick, for good and bad. I liked how her internal thoughts were shown throughout the book, and how it took her a while to grapple with the idea that God allowed such a horrdenous act to happen to her. (Something I still wrestle with at times) I didn't like how she acted though in certain situations, and how because of her "upbringing" she couldn't stand up for herself, especially in front of male figures, nuh uh. God knows all that would've come from my mouth, but then again everyone handles situations differently. Ethan, I didn't really like him at all. Regardless of the fact that he was a "Christian", from the start of the book something didn't sit right with me about the guy, especially since he already "knew" (because God told him *insert rolling eyes emoji*) that Dynah would be his wife as soon as he saw her. That doesn't sound like God's message, more like his fast paced assumption (a rant for another day with the "God told me" messages, I'm not saying God can't speak, I know He can but often times people speak manipulating messages from this phrase) in addition, fueled with a hint of lust. There has been situations where God can reveal to you your future spouse, at a glance but this should be with extreme caution, because our hearts desires get in the way at times. I liked how Ms. Francine showed that not all Christians are "good" and Ethan was that example. He was a snake in disguise, and when he said wanted to kill the rapist, he was just mad that the man (who raped Dynah) had messed up his "perfect" future plans. He didn't like Dynah anymore, all because she had been defiled and wasn't his "pretty, perfect virgin" please. He was the Christian to be all talk, but no action. The same with the Pastor of NLC and the Dean himself, they did not have the right approach to things. I'm glad Dynah called of the engagement, because Ethan was not someone she should marry, because his love had strings attached, yet he proudly professed of a Love that didn't. (Make it make sense my dude.) I really liked the minor characters like Mr. Packard, the man and waitress she met in the middle of nowhere (to me) Cynthia, Jim, Brenda, etc. Okay next portion.

Plot: The middle was a bit bogging and hard to read, maybe because of how different storylines came into play, from the past of Dynah's mother (Hannah) and how she had an abortion, and how it came back to haunt her, or how her own mother (Evie) had an abortion because of a underlying health issue and how it plagued their family, because it had all been buried. And then Dr. James (Jim) perpsective and how desensitized he felt from how much abortions he performed, and how his wife stil saw him through. (Spoiler: He comes to the faith, and the way it happened was incredibly beautiful! Saved by the girl he was going to perform an abortion on, he eventually uses his skill and passion in women's health to bring life, instead of taking it away.)

Romance: I knew from the start, that with how Joe interacted with Dynah he would be the husband, regardless of how long it took. His character was a vital one, and I wish there was more dedication and development for his character. His background was nothing like Ethan's and they looked nothing alike either. Growing up with being involved with drugs, and gangs he came to Christ later in his life and the change was evident, though his appearance may had not seemed the most "Christian". Again, this is why we shouldn't have stereotypes. *insert upside down smiley emoji* He was extremely patient with Dynah, and empathized with her, taking his time has she dealt with the trauma from her rape. Although he hadn't been in support of her having an abortion, he wasn't pushy though he was firm and he also lived out his "pro-life" views by being there for Dynah, ready to take care of her regardless of how her baby came to be. HE did what we as Christians, I believe are supposed to do.

Applauses: I've said a lot of good things. I'll try to be positive with the character of Ethan, and in a way with how preachy he was it gives a lesson for us Christians, and how we should handle sensitive situations, because it's something I've done in the past. Instead of trying to find the right words to comfort someone, sometimes our presence can suffice, and we should always be gentle with our words, because they can come out tone deaf even if that isn't the intention, and I believe Joe was a really good example of that.

Criticsms: Maybe a bit of an overdose with the recitations of Scripture? I think another plot twist with Ehtan's life would have been fun. The epilogue was a bit extra, not really necessary.

Overall, this book was really good imo. I enjoyed it, obviously since I read it so fast. I really like the message of how God can redeem our situations, no matter how bad they are and something good can truly come out of it. It also humbled me towards the pro-choice view and to be open-minded. But, I still believe all lfie should be given a chance. And I thin Christians should be ready to leave the comforts of their world, and go out of their way to help those who are contemplating abortion. We shouldn't just be pro-birth, but pro-life, if that's our view. :)

I appreciate that this book delves into the controversial moral and intimate subject of abortion. I'm glad that the author didn't make all the Christians "good guys" and the non-Christians "bad guys". I'm glad she shone a light on the hypocrisy that's rampant in Christianity.

But I just didn't like very much else about this book. The characters were pretty one-dimentional. The story was predictable. The dialogue was cheesy. The way everything resolved was too perfect. I've never read Christian fiction before, but I had high hopes that this would be a though-provoking and deep book, based on the beginning. About a quarter of the way through, though, it just got a little to schmaltzy and preachy for me.

One of my faves!

Incredible book! Heartbreaking situation changes hearts and drives her to seek true meaning & belief instead of shallow beliefs & answers. This book I will not only get a copy for my library but also for work.

In reality, I would have agreed that Dynah take the morning after pill in order not to get pregnant after she was raped. Even when she got pregnant, her boyfriend (trained to be a pastor) and all her Christian College dean and professors, parents and friends wanted her to have an abortion saying that God will understand. Dynah made the decision to listen instead to her heart and her heart said that killing the baby is not right. It also broke my heart to read that she was shunned by the College she was studying in because they don't want her to stain the school's reputation that there might be talks that she got pregnant out of wedlock because she refused to announce to the world that she got raped (understandable, with trauma and all)..

Anyway, I love this book. My most favorite and heartbreaking part was the ending...

When a girl and her boyfriend was in the abortion clinic, Jesus was there with them saying No, I love you. Don't do this. Trust me.

And when the girl went into the examination room to have the baby aborted, Jesus was crucified once again - God's Atonement Child for our sins.

I rarely read fiction, but a trusted friend recommended The Atonement Child so I gave it a read. WOW. Francine's writing is fluid, and descriptive, and so enjoyable to read. The character development had such depth, that even the characters that were not so nice, I came away understanding why they did the things they did. Each character she wrote about had such unique, individual struggles that I could feel for and care for each of their personal sufferings. The journey of the main character was rich and interesting, and was not predictable. Francine definitely showed all sides of this important debate, thought provoking. This is my first Francine Rivers book, but it won't be my last, I am a new fan!

Francine Rivers did such a great job portraying the big issue of abortion in this book. The main character, Dinah, a godly young lady, who is serving the Lord has the unexpected happen to her. You know the "why do bad things happen to good people" ordeal? Her "perfect" life is shattered by rape and the consequences multiplied by an unwanted pregnancy which now brings the question, "What to do with this child?". Her life as she knows it is over, unless she does what everyone else seems to think she should do, gets an abortion. That would solve it all. No bad reputation, no ruined life, no reminders of the bad thing that happened to her, as far as those around her it seems to be the perfect solution.... but what about the emotional scars abortions can leave? No one wants to talk about the facts, or give her any real information on the long term effects of a decision like this. Her family is being torn apart, her faith stretched to the limits, and time is running out. What will she do?

This book is so worth the read, for many reasons, but it especially gives insight about the damage abortion can do to a woman physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I wonder how many women are out there that no one knows what they have gone through or suffered in the course of their lives after having an abortion, whether out of choice or possibly being forced or coerced into one. What does God have to say about it? Is society's view on the issue an accurate one in light of His Word? This book certainly gives much to think about.

I'm really giving this 4.5/5 stars,and only because the plot felt a little all over the place at times. Francine Rivers captivated my heart with yet another beautiful story that perfectly depicts the gospel. Would recommend to a friend.

This was the perfect book to choose to read on a day I was sick! I was a little apprehensive about how much detail I would encounter in certain scenes, but in the end, that wasn’t really a problem, which I was grateful for. The one thing I didn’t expect from this story (but should have, I guess) was the way that choosing life versus the alternative was presented and the amount of tension around this issue that ensued from the discussions. I’ve never been in a position like the characters in this story found themselves in (and I’m grateful for it), and I’d like to think that I would choose life every time. But I appreciated the realistic way that Rivers allowed her characters to question and work through their beliefs.

The one thing I was hoping for from this story did come through—that there is hope after a terrible, traumatic experience. It can take a long time to heal sometimes, but the Lord is faithful, and I loved seeing that represented over and over through the story. This was an excellent read—highly recommended!

I love Francine's work, she's one of the best christian writers I know and my absolute favorite, why? Because you can see God's love, God's message in every single page of every book she wrote. Her writing flows beautifully, her dialogues are well written and keep you reading, plot, romance, love, forgiveness, God's wisdom is all wrapped up in her books. The Atonement Child was such a good book, it thought me so much, it really opened my eyes to the post abortion depression and made me see those doctors that perform abortions daily under a new light. The way Francine stays objective but at the same time makes you go on a rollercoaster ride full of emotions and surprises is phenomenal. I was Pro-life before I read this book, and I'm even more pro-life after reading it. I have some friends who sadly got writ of their baby, yes it IS a baby and I refuse to call it "the problem" or the "fetus", they all confirmed what Francine wrote about, even if they may not believe in God, they all agree that they regret their decision and they will carry that weight for the rest of their lives. One dear friend even told me that she sometimes stops to look at a little boy or girl and think about how her son/daughter would have been of the same age. That said, I love how Francine doesn't say that it is wrong, she just tells you all the details and all the conflicts and makes you decide what to think of it. Let's face it, Francine has a gift for writing. If you're looking for a good book with a lot of suspense, love, truth and God's wisdom, please read it, and I promise you won't regret it. cheers and God Bless ;)

The story of a protected, adored virgin being brutally raped and dealing with a resulting pregnancy could not have been an easy story to write. The author did a good job of creating a believable Christian family in crises by allowing us inside their deepest thoughts thereby revealing weakness, doubt, fear, and anger woven with faith, redemption, and hope.

The Atonement Child was an interesting mixture of thoroughly developed characters undergoing intense trauma mixed with a few secondary players that seemed a bit flat. While I'm glad to have read the book I did not love it for a few reasons. I felt it hurried key moments of development in the central character, Dynah. The story spiraled out from her forming a generational anthology introducing us to three generations of women each with their own story of unwanted/inconvenient pregnancy. At times I felt like I'd been wandering in the desert for forty years trying to sort out the timeline. Eventually things snapped back to the current storyline but by midway through it was exuding an almost fairytale like feeling. The story becomes wildly implausible because everything works out seamlessly right down to the tiniest detail but it's presented in a "well, with God all things are possible" kinda way. And, of course, with God all things are possible so perhaps...

Despite the lower points there were moments that shined. The author excelled at examining marriages and family dynamics by exploring the vast range of emotions felt by Dynah, her parents, and her grandmother. She captured the nuance of Dynah's parents' marriage and feeling for one another to perfection.

The greatest failing was in the lack of discussion about the option of adoption. While it was mentioned briefly very little time was spent looking into adoption as a legitimate means for coping with unwanted pregnancy. Normally the omission of options would not be criteria for ranking a book but it is clear the author is using the story as a means of helping girls in this situation and I applaud her for doing so. Yet, while Dynah was a nineteen year old college student with many options available to her most girls who find themselves pregnant are much younger and adoption is almost always the very best option. Teens in high school should not and cannot be presented only the options of abortion or raising a child. Of course, this book was published in 1997 when pregnant twelve years old wasn't quite so commonplace as it is today. So, perhaps if given the chance to write the same story set in the current time frame this oversight would be attended to more carefully.

Speaking of the year of publication... I caught myself thinking, "Why don't they just use their cell phone?" only to remember they weren't widely in use or quite so small back then. In the same vein I was amused to think of Dynah and another character, Joe, actually writing letters to one another instead of using email. Oh how the world has changed! :)

A Quickie Review

Abortion has never affected me personally, but, as an emotionally sensitive person, this novel still moved me nonetheless. Dynah's struggle about what to do with her unborn child, and her desire to do the right thing without knowing what it is, made for very gripping reading. Though it wasn't perfect--that's why I didn't give it a perfect score--the overwhelming emotional themes make up for any complaints I could come up with.

Content Concerns: Themes of abortion, rape, and sex outside of marriage, as well as emotional intensity, are all through this book. Anyone who is unable to understand or deal with such material should probably stay away.

Score: 4.5/5