2008 Summer Beach Read Nominee #1: Skizzer

It's that time again, y'all. Christian Fiction is taking nominations for the 2008 Summer Beach Reading Festival. On June 1 I will set up a poll in the sidebar for you to pick. I will post a nominee every day until May 31, this Saturday. So, if you have a book you want to nominate, then email me or post your nomination and email me the link. Email me at vidae dot writing dot com. Now


Skizzer: A Novel

Synopsis: After receiving news of her sister Becca's sudden disappearance, [Skizzer]Claire Trowling must piece together the shadowy remnants of a past she's long forgotten in order to find her. A cryptic note scrawled in Becca's handwriting leaves more questions than it answers, and when a stack of mysterious letters bound by a rare necklace is found, Claire heads to England-the source of the heirloom-for answers.

My review: I like that the story's structure isn't linear. Kiesling weaves from one decade to the next to help her find her missing sister. However, Claire's voice should have a natural progression from childhood to adulthood. In Chapter 4/1977/ her childhood, she describes her world with the same vocabulary and insight as she does in the present. Having Claire's childhood mind tell the story, having Claire's teenage mind tell the story would have added to the uniqueness of the story's plot. Instead it appears as if Kiesling either got lost in her own intrigue or didn't see her own potential to be the kind of storyteller new novelists need to pattern after.

As for whether it is worthy to be nominated as a summer beach read...

I say yes. It is a great novel for sisters to read together. It has intrigue, a transcontinental adventure, Brit/American romance, and a great escape, since gas and flights are higher than kites.

My favorite line:

He[Colin] looked at me steadily."Breathe easily, Claire, If you heart is as open as it sounds, God will fall over himself to rush out to meet you."

What next? Read some of last year picks here.