The Feathered Bone Book Review

SUMMARY:  In the pre-Katrina glow of New Orleans, Amanda Salassi is anxious about chaperoning her daughter's sixth-grade field trip to the Big Easy during Halloween.  And then her worst fears come true.  Her daughter's best friend, Sarah, disappears amid the magic and revelry---gone, without a trace.
     Unable to cope with her guilt, Amanda's daughter sinks into depression.  And Amanda's husband turns destructive as he watches his family succumb to grief.  Before long, Amanda's whole world has collapsed.
     Amanda knows she has to save herself before it's too late.  As she continues to search for Sarah, she embarks on a personal journey, seeking hope and purpose in the wake of so much tragedy and loss.
     Set amidst the murky parishes of rural Louisiana and told through the eyes of two women who confront the darkest corners of humanity with quiet and unbreakable faith, The Feathered Bone is Julie Cantrell's master portrait of love in a fallen world.

REVIEW:  This is one book I really didn't want to read.  I kept putting it off until I couldn't do so any longer.  The thought of reading about a young girl who was lost in New Orleans on a field trip and the mom who was supposed to be keeping an eye on her gave me knots in my stomach and made my heart hurt.  But, when I started reading the story, saw how the author handled difficult subjects, I couldn't put it down.  It was hard not to read fast to find out what happened in the end.
     Now, it does deal with some very difficult subjects like child abduction, sex trafficking, depression, spousal abuse, and suicide but it also shows the reader there is hope, grace, love, forgiveness, faith, and strength, even in difficult times.  Ms. Cantrell doesn't hold back any punches but does deal with difficult and sensitive subjects with a delicate touch, letting you see just enough to know what is occurring but not enough to turn the reader away. 
     Probably my favorite thing was Sarah's parents offering grace, love, and forgiveness to Amanda.  Beth and Amanda were best friends, as their daughters' were.  Instead of railing again her for taking her eye off Sarah, Beth and Preacher are loving, supportive and forgiving, knowing Amanda is beating herself up. 
     If you are looking for something to shake you up and take you out of your reading comfort zone, this one is for you.  This book is one I will not forget for a long time. 

This book was provided by Fiction Guild and Thomas Nelson Publishers 

for review without compensation.

Julie Cantrell is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Into the Free, the 2013 Christy Award-winning Book of the Year and recipient of the Mississippi Library Association's Fiction Award.  Cantrell has served as editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review and is a recipient of the Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Fellowship.  Her second novel, When Mountains Move, won the 2014 Carol Award for Historical Fiction and, like her debut, was selected for several Top Reads lists.  Visit Julie online at juliecantrell.com, on Facebook: juliecantrellauthor, Twitter: @JulieCantrell, and on Pinterest: juliecantrell.