Angela Hunt's The Offering ~ Reviewed

THE OFFERING

By Angela Hunt

Published By

ISBN#978-1-4391-8205-5

300 Pages

Back Cover: One innocent mistake… a lifetime of consequences.

After growing up as an only child, Amanda Lisandra wants a big family. But since she and her soldier husband can’t afford to have more children right away, Mandy decides to earn money as a gestational carrier for a childless couple. She loves being pregnant, and while carrying the child she dreams of having her own son and maybe another daughter…

Just when the nearly perfect pregnancy is about to conclude, unexpected tragedy enters Mandy’s world and leaves her reeling. Devastated by grief, she surrenders the child she was carrying and struggles to regain her emotional equilibrium.

Two years later she studies a photograph of the baby she bore and wonders if the unthinkable has happened—could she have inadvertently given away her own biological child? Over the next few months Mandy struggles to decide between the desires of her grief-stricken heart and what’s best for the little boy she has never known.

Review:  Angela Hunt hits it out of the park with The Offering. Once again this author describes an amazing scientific accomplishment and how it affects us individually and spiritually. I always learn so much when Angela shows me how these amazing things play out in real life with real people! This novel explores the topic of being a gestational carrier! I’m so thankful for the review copy of such an eye opening, informative book.

Angela Hunt says in an author interview at the back of the book, “I believe God created every life for a purpose – so we should behave responsibly toward unborn children even if they are only at the blastocyst stage.”

Amanda Lisandra begins her research about becoming a surrogate. She informs her husband, Gideon, “It’s legal, but not everyone approves surrogacy…Here’s how it works hon, “The baby will be the couple’s biological child, but they’ll pay me to carry it until it’s born. For my part in the arrangement, I’m pretty sure I could earn as much as you do in a year…everything I need will be supplied by the other couple.”

Gideon says, “A man wants his wife to carry his own baby.”

Amanda responds, “In a perfect world, sure…but not everyone woman can carry babies while people like me carry them easily. Look at it this way – I want to contribute to our family’s dream and you risk your life for us every time you go out the front door.”

“Ok baby girl! If you want to be generous, why should I stop you?”

Then their off on this incredible journey! This author gives the reader a front row seat as Amanda plunges into being a gestational carrier nook line and sinker! Amanda comes up against things she didn’t realize would be part of the experience! She thought being a surrogate was simply her trying to help her family out financially at the same time she could make another couples dream come true of having a child of their own. Not so easy! Things were getting complicated!

Angela helps the reader look at this matter from several angles and lets you decide how to feel. All too soon Amanda realized it takes “a village to conceive a child.” Who knew? I really appreciated how the spiritual thread was masterfully woven throughout this astounding novel. The author makes the reader think by asking questions throughout this story, like could God work through a Surrogate? What is a couple’s obligation to eggs that are harvested? What is best for the child?

At the same time Amanda starts her surrogate journey her cousin Amelia and husband Mario start the process of adopting a child. They’ve tried to have a baby for years. Time was ticking! They plug into becoming adoptive parents and see a whole new side of life. It’s heart warming and complicated. Amanda was running into a few compilations of her own, she soon discovered that relationships’ of all kind were complicated.

Angela immediately connected with and had for compassion for her characters and their unreal situations. I was glued to this book from the start to finish. Warning you’ll be up late finishing this one. My heart raced and I got teary eyed at the end. I wasn’t sure how this author would end these two couples journey. The ending was satisfying and made me think about so much. When science and man-kind try to play god things get complicated! I highly recommend this for your book club pick and your summer ready list! There is oh so much to talk about! Wow!

Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent

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