Cliff Coon
The Mending String (2004)
Author: Cliff Coon
Genre: Gentle/Christian
Plot Summary:
This 2005 Christy Award winner for First Novel is an easy yet interesting read. Pastor Clayton Loverage lives alone with his youngest child, Ellen. She is turning 18 in a few months and their relationship is strained. As Clayton says early on in the book, Ellen was born saying "no". Clayton has set down strict rules which Ellen questions at almost every turn. She is not so much a rebel, but a young woman who wants to think on her own and make her own decisions. Clayton is also facing a struggle at his church as some parishoners want to modernize the church services and replace him with a younger pastor. Clayton's ability to lead his church and conduct his parenting seminars is called into question by some parisoners because of his seeming inability to parent his own daughter. In an effort to find some peace, Ellen has been sneaking into Miss Merkle's (her backyard neighbor) house to read books of which her father wouldn't approve. One day, Ellen discovers signs that her father and Miss Merkle may have known each other when they were younger. A new family moves into town; the Villenuevas are from New Mexico. Maria, the mother, is trying to make a better life for her youngest son, Osvaldo. Her oldest two boys, Raphael and Ramon, move in and out of her home, bringing stress and danger, because they steal her paycheck and store stolen goods at her house. She feels helpless to stop them because they have threatened to hurt Osvaldo. Ellen and Osvaldo become friends and the two families' lives become intertwined. As the year progresses, Ellen and Clayton deal with their own troubles and their relationship becomes closer as they each realize how important the other is.
Geographical Setting: Springdale, Illinois
Time Period: present day (2004)
Appeal Characteristics:
The lead characters' belief in God is very evident and it is their faith in God that gets them through their struggles. They pray to God and ask Him for help many times. The relationship between Clayton and Ellen is one that many readers may identify with. Parents may enjoy this book because of Clayton's love for his daughter and understand his difficulty to relate to his daughter. Young adults may enjoy this book because of Ellen's efforts to define herself as an individual in her father's world. Ellen's growing relationship with God might appeal to some readers. The strenghtening of Clayton and Ellen's relationship will appeal to some readers. This is an easy read that can also provoke readers to think about their own beliefs.
Read-alikes: Welcome to Fred by Brad Whittington has a similar protagonist who is male and a bit younger (might appeal to those seeking a similar tale with a male perspective); Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout is about a pastor whose wife dies and how his inability to cope affects his family and his congregation; Once Upon a Gulf Coast Summer by Susan Oliver-Kay focuses on a mother-daughter relationship in light of the mother's impending passing (the fight to find a place in one's life for God is similar to the storyline of Coon's book; Let the Church Say Amen by ReShonda Tate Billingsley features a dysfunctional family, including a drug addict and a unwed teen mother, headed by a pastor; and The Scent of Lilacs by Ann H. Gabhart in which a pastor's daughter learns why her mother has left the family behind.
Red Flags: There is some violence in the story when Ellen is almost raped by Raphael. To escape him, she pokes him in the eye with a stick and there is mention of blood. The scene of Ellen being chased by Raphael goes on for a few pages so there is some tension.
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