"Facing Sobriety With Southern Charm" (back cover)

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Walking on Broken Glass

Abingdon Press (February 2010)
by
Christa Allan
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Christa Allan, a true Southern woman who knows any cook worth her gumbo always starts with a roux and who never wears white after Labor Day, weaves stories of unscripted grace with threads of hope, humor, and heart.



The mother of five and grandmother of three, Christa teaches high school English. She and her husband, Ken live in Abita Springs, Louisiana where they play golf, dodge hurricanes, and anticipate retirement.

Kay's thoughts: This book is intense. (Read plot synopsis below.) As I began to read I thought the problems were too simplistic and obvious but as the author draws you into Leah's therapy, she peels back layer after layer of the past. The plot is anything but simple.

The early chapters seemed to be bogged down with a great amount of description, however, I came to see that this attention to detail may be part of what happens in early recovery....the fog begins to lift but the layers of reality are still undercover; therefore, attention is given to the person's enviroment disportionately. Some of the revelations that came to light floored me.

Not a pretty story but redeeming and needed. I will admit I found the book somewhat depressing. While this is not good for me personally, it will serve others as an accurate illustration of the recovery process in dealing with addictions.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Leah Thornton's life, like her Southern Living home, has great curb appeal. But already sloshed from one-too-many drinks at a faculty party, Leah cruises the supermarket aisles in search of something tasty to enhance her Starbucks—Kahlua and a paralyzing encounter with a can of frozen apple juice shatters the facade, forcing her to admit that all is not as it appears.



When her best friend Molly gets in Leah's face about her refusal to deal with her life, Leah is forced to make a decision. Can this brand-conscious socialite walk away from the country club into 28 days of rehab? Leah is sitting in the office of the local rehab center facing an admissions counselor who fails to understand the most basic things, like the fact that apple juice is not a suitable cocktail mixer.

Rehab is no picnic, and being forced to experience and deal with the reality of her life isn’t Leah’s idea of fun. Can she leave what she has now to gain back what she needs? Joy, sadness, pain and a new strength converge, testing her marriage, her friendships and her faith.

But through the battle she finds a reservoir of courage she never knew she had, and the loving arms of a God she never quite believed existed.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Walking on Broken Glass, go HERE