BOOK REVIEW | The Amen Sisters
The Amen Sisters
By Angela Benson
Angela Benson was one of the first authors of Christian fiction I started reading a few years ago. I was making a transition from reading secular books and her novels “Awakening Mercy” and “Abiding Hope” are still on the book shelf. Right around this time Angela Benson, Sharon Ewell Foster and Victoria Christopher Murray seemed to start a new movement in Christian fiction that is now booming. Now the selection widens each year as new authors deliver fictional works about people of color and their faith. I read all types of Christian fiction, but it is always a treat to read a novel that is culturally relatable.
It’s been a while since Angela Benson has published a novel, but her latest release is well worth the wait. The Amen Sisters is the next level of Christian fiction. Fiction that exposes what is often hidden or looked over by the church. Touching on a subject that is taboo similarly to the Catholic Church’s sex scandal, Angela introduces us to two sisters struggling in their faiths over earth shattering circumstances.
The novel opens with Francine arguing with her best friend Toni. In a matter of minutes, Toni is lost forever as she commits suicide. Not believing her friend’s confession of being pregnant by their bishop – Francine is burdened with the guilt of being too self-righteous to help a friend in need. After months at a mental health facility, Francine tries to move past her friend’s untimely death and the disillusionment of her involvement with her former church.
Francine returns back home to live with her sister Dawn and her husband, Sly. Unbeknownst to Francine, Dawn and Sly have been having difficulties in their marriage thanks to Sly’s recent affair. Sly’s indiscretion still makes Dawn distrustful and at the same time Sly is tired of trying to prove himself worthy of his wife’s love again. It does not help that Sly and Francine were a couple before Francine skipped town with her former church.
Francine is not easily accepted back into the community especially by Toni’s brother and mother. Despite her adversaries, she learns slowly to reacquaint herself back with God.
This novel touches on quite a bit of how sex outside of marriage can have lasting unimaginable effects. The power of forgiveness and the wickedness of revenge are also touched upon. If you are looking for a juicy novel, this definitely fits the bill. Kudos to Angela for a courageous novel!
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