MATTERS OF FAITH

Author: Kristy Kiernan ISBN: 9780425221792 8/2008 FICTION Publisher: BERKLEY

At age twelve, Marshall Tobias saw his best friend killed by a train. It was then that he began his search for faith—delving into one tradition, then discarding it for another. His parents, however, have little time for spiritual contemplation. Their focus has been on his little sister Megan, who suffers from severe food allergies. Now Marshall is home from college with his first real girlfriend, but there is more to Ada than meets the eye—including her beliefs about the evils of medical intervention. What follows is a crisis that tests not only faith, but the limits of family, forgiveness, and our need to believe.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

MATTERS OF FAITH makes me want to gather my family close and hug each and every one of them. It is a story that brings into focus the important things in life: family, faith, health... and thus, happiness. Written in a conversational tone that makes the reading feel more like listening to a story rather than passing the reader's gaze over the page, MATTERS OF FAITH flows with a richness and cadence that can lull the reader into a false sense of security. For me, just when I thought I had this family's dynamic figured out, there was a twist which took me by complete surprise. As I said, the false sense of security. Ms. Kiernan's timing is perfect, almost eerily so.

Characters often make or break a story. Cal and Chloe and their two children, Marshall and Meghan, are so typical they could be any family. Meghan has a life-threatening food allergy, and early in the book it is made abundantly clear that she must carry EpiPens everywhere in the event she comes into contact with something that could potentially kill her. When Marshall and his new girlfriend Ada do the unthinkable and expose Meghan to her nemesis, what follows is a vivid portrayal of one family's descent into hell. Gripping, achingly realistic and with all the tension and drama one would expect in this situation, MATTERS OF FAITH explores what it means to be a family—and shows how quickly families can fall apart.

One of my very favorite parts in this comes when one character asks another (and you can see I'm keeping the identities to myself!) whether or not there is a difference between actually being in love or just thinking you're in love. It made me stop and think; this book is filled with insightful, thoughtful moments like this one. I have to say, I love a story that does more than entertain, one that makes its readers ponder. MATTERS OF FAITH does exactly that, and I enjoyed that aspect of reading very much.

Despite the difficult, heartbreaking subject matter, I greatly enjoyed this book. It is real, honest and well-written. I was so impressed with Ms. Kiernan's casual, yet clean, writing style that I plan on reading her first book, CATCHING GENIUS, the first chance I get. Kristy Kiernan knows how to tell a story; MATTERS OF FAITH is unforgettable.

Kay James