A beautiful and emotive tale: "The Edge of Belonging" by Amanda Cox

about the book....

When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee her late grandmother's estate sale, she soon discovers that the woman left behind more than trinkets and photo frames--she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy's adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing.

Twenty-four years earlier, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn who gives him a sense of human connection for the first time in his life. His desire to care for the baby runs up against the stark fact that he is homeless. When he becomes entwined with two people seeking to help him find his way, Harvey knows he must keep the baby a secret or risk losing the only person he's ever loved.

In this dual-timeline story from debut novelist Amanda Cox, the truth--both the search for it and the desire to keep it from others--takes center stage as Ivy and Harvey grapple with love, loss, and letting go.

my review....

With compelling characters that seem to breathe through the pages as they dance towards an ending that found me with a Kleenex or two clutched in my hands, "The Edge of Belonging" is one of the most beautiful and emotive tales that I have read this year. The story line seamlessly transitions between two different time periods, weaving together moments of loss and pain and new beginnings and love.

After reading the description of the novel, I'd expected that it would be Ivy or Harvey who would most captivate me while reading this book. But as engrossing as they are, it is Pearl and her wide open heart that I most admired, someone who puts others first and holds loosely to the things of this world because her gaze is so firmly fixed on the next. She so embodied Christ in action that I found myself longing to live with that same selflessness. Because the story is moving back and forth in time, the ending is not surprising per se. But it is the journey to getting there that blew me away, touching me deeply. It is possible that this story spoke so deeply to me the way it did because I have worked with foster children myself for many years, and the author has captured so well the pain and struggles that define so may lives, along with the beauty that awaits when love enters in.

 

It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel! I have been truly blessed by this story, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I award this novel a rating of 5 out of 5 stars, and eagerly await what may come next from this talented author.

 

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

about the author....

Amanda Cox is a blogger and a curriculum developer for a national nonprofit youth leadership organization, but her first love is communicating through story. She holds a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in professional counseling. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children.

 

Buy now from Amazon.com

 

https://amzn.to/2FyD8qj