Book Review: "Songs of Deliverance" by Marilynn Griffith

Fifteen years ago, Zeely Wilkins and Ron Jenkins were students the school district stopped believing in. Lucky for them, their teacher knew something the principal didn't; they were cream of the crop but they just hadn't sprouted the way people expected.

Though they went their separate ways, the past is calling them back to the school and the teacher who wouldn't give up on them. Now they'll have to decide what love really means--and whether they're willing to dance to a new tune to get it. But can they rediscover the songs of deliverance that once brought them together? Or will secrets keep them apart?

Interracial relationships. For some reason it's still a taboo subject in Christian fiction. Are authors still worried about offending readers who are against this? I mean, it's the 21st century and it's not a fad that is going away. As someone who is in an interracial marriage, I find the lack of even just talk about it very discouraging. Therefore books that do include this in their story lines are grabbed by me as must reads. Marilynn Griffith is one of the few authors in Christian fiction that isn't afraid to write about what actually happens in real life.

If you're expecting a light cozy read that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, you've picked up the wrong book. This book shows the ugly side of people and events and eventually how they affect relationships and the way people turn out. The character really gel in this book. There's a lot of interaction between them and you do feel as if you really get to know them. One aspect I found really interesting about the book was the truth behind Ron's family history and how ironic the whole situation with his father ended up being. I don't want to spoil it but let's just say it's amazing how some people just want to ignore the truth and choose to stay blind instead.

While this book could be read as a standalone, I HIGHLY recommend reading the book that came before this, Rhythms of Grace. The characters from Songs are first introduced in Rhythms and their back story is fleshed out. Many references from the first book are made in Songs and the reader will understand it better if they go back and read it first. Even myself, who has read Rhythms, still had trouble remembering who was who while I was reading Songs. The story is mainly about Zeely and Ron but a lot is also focused on Grace and Brian as well.

Overall I enjoyed this book. At first it was a little hard to follow because the POV would continually switch between characters. There wouldn't be a pattern, it was a random, even bringing the POV from secondary characters sometimes. However once you remembered to check the title of each chapter to realize who's POV it was, it was a straightforward read. Marilynn's books always aren't afraid to talk about issues that most people try to avoid. Racial and church issues are brought up heavily in this book that many would dismiss but really needs to be talked about. There needs to be more books in Christian fiction like this.

Songs of Deliverance by Marilynn Griffith is published by Revell (2009)

This review copy was provided by the publisher