Amy Sorrells's How Sweet the Sound ~ Reviewed

HOW SWEET THE SOUND
Amy K. Sorrells
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook (March 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434705447

Description:

A Southern Novel of Second Chances

From a distance, the Harlans appear to be the perfect Southern family. Wealth and local fame mask the drama and dysfunction swirling through their family line. But as the summer heats up, a flood tide of long hidden secrets surface.

Devastation from a rape followed by the murder of two family members brings three generations of the Harlans together on their pecan plantation in Bay Spring, Alabama. Chief among them is Anniston, who by the time she turned thirteen thought she’d seen it all. But as her heart awakens to the possibility of love, she begins to deal with her loneliness and grief.

This tender coming-of-age tale, inspired by the story of Tamar in 2 Samuel 13, shows how true healing and hope comes only from God. Though our earthly family can wound and disappoint, our heavenly Father brings freedom to those long held captive through His mercy and grace.

Review:



How Sweet the Sound takes place during the summer of 1980 in a coastal Alabama town, where a family finally comes face to face with three generations of sin. The story is mainly told from the point of Anniston, a young girl born into a well-to-do family. When her Aunt is raped, and her father and uncle are killed when a long over-due confrontation takes place, secrets that have been hidden for years begin to surface, and no matter how hard the family tries not to deal with them, they are forced to.

This wasn't one of my favorite books, but it kept me interested, wanting to know what was going to happen next, and how the main characters would develop. It shows human nature, in that, most times, we only want to show the people on the outside the good in ourselves and our families, and don't want the bad things to surface. But sometimes, in doing that, we are just deceiving ourselves and avoiding not only the truth, but the healing that the Lord can provide.

Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers