Do you ever crave the supernatural? Here's a review for Thomas Nelson's offering, Angel Song by Sheila Walsh and Kathryn Cushman.
Let's begin with the summary:
“Angels eagerly watch over Annie Fletcher's every move. She just doesn't know it yet."
When Annie Fletcher returns to Charleston to see her younger sister, Sarah, receive her master's degree, she finds herself riding in the back of an ambulance, watching helplessly as Sarah fights for life. During the ride, Sarah appears to talk to someone who is not there, humming a melody Annie has never heard before.
Neighbor Ethan McKinney is there to lend a shoulder when Sarah unexpectedly dies. And as a carpenter, Ethan volunteers to help Annie get the Fletcher family home into shape for selling. Ethan's presence is distracting, but what troubles Annie is her neighbor Tammy's 12-year-old son. Keith has Down Syndrome and the guile to believe he can see and hear angels.
God begins to reveal Himself to Annie - both in her newfound friends and through heart-rending and clearly supernatural events. Annie discovers faith in God, finally experiencing the comfort that His angels really do surround us.
And now, my review:
Sometimes we humans crave the supernatural. I’m so grateful for God in my life as He fulfills that longing. The heroine of Angel Song didn’t want anything to do with the supernatural, with God or with angels. Fortunately for her, they weren’t listening. But she is listening, and she hears them.
Cushman and Walsh portray the heroine’s pain-filled life where she lives behind a wall, trying to be something she isn’t. The authors aren’t afraid to touch on universally deep issues—like the love of a child for a parent, unconditional love, fear of abandonment and career choices.
Sometimes we humans, out of fear of abandonment, reject others before we can be rejected. I loved this line: "Most people I know would kill to have what you keep throwing away with both hands." So good.
At times the book reads like a romance, though it isn’t categorized as such. I liked the romance thread and appreciated its inclusion. I believe it greatly added to the story. I found myself relating with the heroine in her struggles, but I also so wanted her to choose God, to choose life, embrace Truth, get free.
This book speaks to our culture’s craving of supernatural elements, but in an unusual way. (The heroine calls the angels’ interruption into her life “haunting her.”) This book doesn’t sugarcoat real life issues, doesn’t offer easy answers, and doesn’t make impossible promises. But the story does offer hope while glorifying God and celebrating His unconditional love. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the novel and will gladly recommend it to others.
Readers looking for something outside the box, with a few twists and turns, and hope, will enjoy this read.
Highly recommended.
