"Whose Waves These Are" by Amanda Dykes

[reviewsbyerin]

 


Amanda Dykes has burst onto the Christian fiction scene with this beautiful debut novel, and everyone is talking about it! It's different, it's deep, it's emotional -- it is an experience unto itself. The dual timelines feature a man in 1944 and a woman in 2001, bound together by family yet held apart by tragedy. 

As WWII rages on, Robert Bliss receives a draft notice -- except it's for his twin brother, Roy. Roy's a newlywed who already has a baby on the way, but there's no ignoring the call of the U.S. government. Besides, Roy feels like he has something to prove after Robert saved his life when they were children. He wants the chance to do that for someone else.

Meanwhile in 2001, Ann Bliss receives word that her beloved great-uncle, who played a pivotal role in her childhood, has been injured and placed into a coma. Rushing from her corporate job in Chicago to tiny Ansel-by-the-Sea, Maine, where Bob has lived all his life, Ann hopes it's not too late to reconnect with this man and bring their family back together.

This story has a very unique feel. Most of the prose is written in third person present tense, which breaks all kinds of standard form, but it really works here. The story meanders through time and doles out information at a pace that will keep you guessing about how things will come together at the end.

I absolutely loved the first half of this book. I was head over heels delighted at the fresh voice and intriguing characters. However, somewhere along the way I gained an expectation about what the story would be about, and that was dashed - heartbreakingly, I-haven't-cried-that-hard-over-a-story-in-a-long-time dashed - about midway through, and I never personally recovered. I'm not sure if that was the book's fault or my fault for picking up the wrong clues. In the second half there's also a heaviness of loss, grief, and tragedy that really grew weighty. I like emotional depth in fiction, but at times this seemed too (as Anne Shirley might say) exceedingly tragical than was necessary. However, if you can weather through the intensity of the storm, the ending is beautiful and lights up wonderful themes and truths.

I would recommend this book for readers who are not faint of heart and who enjoy reading something different. Just keep those Kleenexes handy, because you are going to need them!

I received my copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.