As I mentioned in my last post, I first found Sigmund Brouwer as a teenager when my dissatisfaction with the lackluster offerings in the Christian fiction market was reaching critical mass. This was back in the day when Brouwer, Peretti, and other daring writers were first starting to break through the convention that kept Christian-market fiction from pursuing stories where they needed to go. I liked Brouwer's tough,suspenseful writing and liked that he didn't mind getting his hands dirty. I still remember some of the more vivid action scenes in his books, years later.
When I saw
Broken Angel on the review list, I jumped at it because I hadn't read him for quite some time and because the description had four magic words--
post-apocalyptic, dystopic America. Without giving you a literary autobiography, I'll just say that post-apocalyptic or dystopian fiction is one of my favorite genres and this story promised to be both. Beyond that, it was a Christian approach to the subject, one of only a handful of such books to make it into the market. Add the fact that it was a near-future dystopia and not the ubiquitous "Left Behind spin-off" that seems to dominate Christian futuristic writing.....and I was hooked before I even opened the book.
When I did open the book, I immediately remembered why Brouwer's writing had stuck with me before--- his gifts for plot, pacing, and action are indisputable. And you can almost feel, as you read, the careful shaping of each character, the lengths to which he goes in order not only to distinguish them from one another in the readers mind but to make the reader experience something specific in each character. The section in which Jordan takes his blessed/cursed daughter Caitlyn to see a surgeon about a bird with a broken wing is absolutely wonderful, the layers of meaning entwining perfectly. Of a darker beauty is his ability to create a compelling, utterly nasty villain in the bounty hunter Mason Lee.....and Brouwer pulls no punches in showcasing the black arts of his creation, while still avoiding cariacature.
In fact, that is one of my only nitpicks with the story.
The more I read, the more I felt that Mason Lee was the true protagonist, at least in terms of level of character development. In my opinion, he is more fully developed than any other character and it is his desires and drives that push much of the narrative. While the story of Caitlyn's flight and her father's past sins is compelling, it lacks narrative gravity....there simply aren't enough scenes in the book to truly drive the weight of the plotline home to the reader. The same is true for Caitlyn's characterizations-- we are told she is experiencing certain emotions, even poignant emotions, but her flight-- literal and figurative-- takes place so quickly that we don't reach real understanding and empathy. Not so with Mason Lee. Whether the reader wants to or not, we're sucked into his dark, worm-ridden mind and we spend a lot of time there.
The ending of Mason's story is perfect, like the final note of a symphony that resonates because it has been carefully built into the melody of preceding notes. Everything he has done and everything he is-- and everything he fears-- comes to bear in one moment of dark and shining justice that the reader is more than ready to experience.
Caitlyn's ending, at the end of the novel, strikes a jarring note. Without giving too much detail, a significant emotional scene with her father is rushed and feels like an after-thought rather than a central piece of her narrative. In this reader's opinion, the scene should have occurred much earlier and the final interaction serve as a reinforcement. I have no doubt that Brouwer may intend more installments in this series and thus deliberately chose to leave the novel open-ended. At the same time, even open-ended novels need significant, weighty ends with at least a partial sense of resolution. I felt this was lacking.
Other than these small quibbles, I adored the book....everything from its setting to its subtle critique of the overly political elements of Christianity who think they can legislate their way into Eden again. I also think it has cross-market appeal that both the Christian and secular reader will enjoy. Brouwer certainly is one of the best out there these days, and I can't wait to see where his angel takes flight next.
Christa Parrish graduated high school at 16, with every intention of becoming a surgeon. After college, however, her love of all things creative led her in another direction, and she worked in both theatre and journalism.
Her Rescue Might Be the Miracle They Needed Things like this don't happen in Beck County. Deputy Benjamin Patil is the one to find the infant girl, hours old, abandoned in a field. As police work to identify the mother, Ben and his wife, Abbi, seem like the obvious couple to serve as foster parents. But the newborn's arrival opens old wounds for Abbi and shines a harsh light on how much Ben has changed since a devastating military tour. Their marriage teeters on the brink and now they must choose to reclaim what they once had or lose each other forever.
