The CFBA Tour presents Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes, published by Tyndale Fiction.
Author Gina Holmes has been forthcoming as to Wings of Glass being the heartfelt favorite of her three published novels (Crossing Oceans; Dry As Rain; Wings of Glass). It can be a rare experience when a novel serves to illuminate a grievous problem in our society and/or culture while also giving a clear illustration of how it evolves, how it's experienced, and how it continues to remain a problem in some relationships. Wings of Glass tackles the destructive behavior of spousal abuse, showing the vulnerability of some individuals who are so willing to love someone who fails to address the roots of rage which produce dangerous and harmful actions. A quick but difficult read, Wings of Glass leaves nothing undisclosed in this portrait of a threatening and viscious young man who, drunk or sober, beats up the girl he supposedly loves when anything ticks him off. Showing the classic remorse in the aftermath of his abuse, he swears he'll never do it again but always does.
Penny Carson is swept off her immature feet by a testerone-swaggering hired hand on her parents' farm, eloping with him and leaving the shelter of her home to be with the handsome sweet-talkin' Trent Taylor. It doesn't take long before he shows her who he really is, and the good-looking young man she married turns into a literal handsome devil of a guy. Drinking, carousing, and beating her up comprise their life together. He says he's sorry, and she lives with it, believing him time after time or pretending she does.
When Trent is injured at work and temporarily blinded, he is forced to let her find a job. Having wanted a child to share her love, she'd given up on getting pregnant, adding to her total lack of self-esteem and perceived failure as a woman. After finding work with two Christian women who clean houses, she learns more about herself than she cares to know. Plus she realizes she's finally pregnant, hoping this will somehow increase her value to her husband and herself.
Wings of Glass is written as a memoirish letter to Penny's unborn child. Told in first person through all the heartache, rationalization, excuse-making, and eye-opening revelation as her life unfolds and takes on real purpose in her pregnancy, Penny resists changing her situation, hoping this time Trent will do what he promises. The turmoil and patterns of his behavior and her thoughts carry her in and out of her friendships with the two women who've tried to help her escape her situation.
Every character in Wings of Glass is a reflection of someone we've all known. The handsome abuser who bullies anyone who gets in his way, refusing to address the issues in his past and carrying the rage around like an extra appendage, takes everything out on his helpless wife. The wise widow who runs the house cleaning business and easily recognizes abuse along with the African-American woman whose dreadful experiences in her home country also point like a laser to Penny's circumstances, both try to talk Penny out of her willingness to ignore the problem. The strength of their faith and the toughness of their love rescue Penny from herself and the man who won't change.
A truly meaningful portrayal of the spousal abuse syndrome, this novel should be mandatory reading for victims of abuse. It's true, as Penny asserts in the story, this cycle is nearly impossible for those who haven't experienced it to understand. The frustrations of those who watch the pattern present dilemmas no one should have to face and try to figure out. The accuracy of this depiction will give readers cause to flinch, but hopefully Wings of Glass will reach those women who need to run from the wicked ways of those who continue to hurt them.
A purposeful novel told with a loving touch in Gina's unique and feisty voice and authentic prose, Wings of Glass provides a realistic story of what one young woman finally understood about faith, relationship, and finding true purpose in life. Painful to read but necessary. A definite book for gifting to the abused.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1414366418
Father, we hurt each other, we abuse each other. We are lost in sin. Please rescue those who think they have no way to escape. Show them who you are and what you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.