The Feathered Bone Review

I have always been one to choose a book because of its cover. From the moment I saw the mostly blues and blacks and the font that reminded me of ribbons on the cover of "The Feathered Bone" by Julie Cantrell , I was drawn in. I've never read anything by Cantrell and I didn't even know what the book was about. All I knew was that THIS looked like a GOOD one.

Last Friday night, I pulled it out before bed and read the first few chapters or so. That little preview clued me into the fact that it was set in New Orleans just before Hurricane Katrina. Cantrell didn't waste any time setting the stage. By the time I read a few more pages the next morning, I had a pretty good idea about where the plot might be headed.

By Sunday afternoon, I couldn't put it down. I did something I rarely do and spent pretty much the entire afternoon finishing this book. I HAD to figure out where these characters were going and how the story line resolved itself. So, there is my pitch. "The Feathered Bone" by Julie Cantrell is hands down, the book that has proved to be the most difficult to put down so far this year.

Now, you need to know that this is not a happy book. As I told Allegra and Cassandra about it at church Sunday morning, Cassandra made a face and shook her head, "Oh, my! No, I can't read books like THAT. I'd get depressed."

This fiction book deals with some HEAVY topics It's not a lighthearted beach read, but rather a book that will dig deep and really make you think about life and your philosophy of it. Seriously...I actually wrote notes in the margins in several places. I almost never do that with fiction.

That said, it's exactly the kind of book I crave as I prepare to come out of winter. This book couldn't have come along at a better time. I've been thinking and reading and writing about the idea of home and the tragedy of longing for it. I've been wrestling with the theme of suffering and slowly coming around to see God's good purpose and HAND in it. I'm always curious about New Orleans. I've spent 25 years in a world where husbands and fathers hurt the very people they are supposed to take care of.

This book leaves no stone unturned. It takes the hardest things in life and places them right in your face. My pastor's sermon on Sunday even tied right into the way this book connected the things in my mind lately (I'm telling you this so that I can share the link with you if you're interested).

If you need a book that will challenge you and give you something to chew on for a while, this is it! Cantrell is fantastic. Maybe it's because I read it in one weekend, but this book really affected me in so many good ways. If you read it, please be sure to tell me!

Grab your copy HERE.




*I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher. All thoughts are my own honest opinion.