“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” Corrie Ten Boom
Reflecting on these three books I read in succession, there is a theme of darkness and I actually felt an association with the dark as I read these books. The Likeness: a murder in the dark, The Keep: a dark dungeon and prison, The Hiding Place: captivity. Out of the three, The Hiding Place, the one with the most powerful darkness of human sin and hatred of one another, is also the one with the most hope and inspiration.
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. I avoided this book for years even though everything I heard or read about it said it was a must read. I avoided it because while WWII and that time period is fascinating to me, it is also terrifying. I could only imagine this book creating a feeling of immense sadness. The story is incredibly heart-breaking, but it is filled with such powerful hope, such amazing power of Jesus to work in any situation that you don’t leave the book feeling hopeless. Instead you realize how God can use you in any situation. Highly recommended.
The Keep by Jennifer Egan. I picked this one up on a recommendation I read somewhere. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own and I probably would have abandoned it early on if it wasn’t the only book I had left to read. I had little interest in the main character, but this book is kind of a story in a story with a mystery twist. The other main character did hold my interest, and once I got into that part of the story, I wanted to keep reading. I’m glad I finished it, but I’m not sure I would recommend it. This book wouldn’t appeal to everyone.
The Likeness by Tana French. This was my first book by French and now I want to read more. It’s a mystery set in Dublin about identity, murder, and strange friendships. I’ll definitely be picking up more of her books.
Out of these books, the one you must read is The Hiding Place. It should be on every person’s book list.
