Into the Fire

Okay then. The Pastor’s Wife by Jennifer AlLee, published by the new fiction arm of Abingdon Press, is up this week for the CFBA Tour. To begin this review it’s only fair for me to tell my blog readers that this is not my kind of novel, and I am not the intended audience for this book. It’s my own fault for selecting it from the blurb. A simple misunderstanding on my part.

This short novel, The Pastor’s Wife, will appeal to those ladies who enjoy the stories offered by the Love Inspired line or to those readers who will be entertained by the story of a pastor, his estranged wife, and the congregation of a church in a small town community in Ohio. Perhaps it will minister to those pastors’ wives who struggle with their position(s) and/or role(s) in the church.

Maura Sullivan apparently had no idea what to expect when she married the young pastor Nick Shepherd. Almost immediately the young couple takes off on their way to Granger, Ohio, from her home in California when Nick is offered an associate position under an aging pastor. Before too long he becomes the head pastor, and suddenly Maura no longer seems to have a husband. The needs of the congregation overshadow her needs, and when she faces a crisis and calls to ask her husband to come home, he basically tells her he isn’t able to make it home right then but he’ll be home as soon as he can. She leaves him a “Dear John” note and returns to her dad’s place in California.

Six years of separation later she must return to Granger for the reading of a will after the death of a parishioner, Miss Hattie Granger. Within that will Maura and Nick learn of certain unexpected and alarming requirements they must make if they hope to reap the rewards of the generosity of the dead woman’s provision.

There’s no question young people can be full of exuberance, and along with that zeal certain ignorance and spiritual immaturity can accompany the desire to do the Lord’s work. Expectations might be impractical and impossible to execute, but people often push themselves or others to exceed those expectations. This story touches on the trouble created by trying to meet the needs of those who fill the pews before recognizing and attending to those held by the one who shares your bed.

Once again I had a problem with the female protagonist, no fault of the author’s. It’s not that Maura doesn’t “feel real”. It’s that in her trials she abandons God as if she has no idea that difficulties are inherent in a walk with the Lord and with marriage. I certainly understand her trying too hard to fill the unenviable shoes and the ill-defined role of “the pastor’s wife”, especially as a naïve young woman. However, the spiritual and age-wise immaturity of this couple gnawed at me from start to nearly finish along with their individual blindness to each other’s needs and traits which isn’t unusual in young-marrieds but seems to implode early in this self-centered relationship.

For those readers who want a church centered story with a different take on the troubles of a couple in the ministry ending in a satisfying conclusion, this quick read is the book for you.

Father, you know Jennifer and have given her talents with which to honor you. I pray, Lord, that you would continue to provide the inspiration she needs to serve you. Bless her and fulfill her desires as she delights in you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.