No One Ever Asked
by Katie Ganshert
My one main regret about this novel is that I read a digital
copy which I cannot share, because this is definitely a book to recommend and
pass along to reading friends. I think a
paperback copy to loan out will find a permanent place on my book shelf.
Katie Ganshert details the lives of three different women in
a school district. Jen, an adoptive
mother of a girl from an African country, Camille, an active mom of three
children, and Anaya, an African American who is a first year teacher in an affluent
school district. The author portrays the
struggles they share: a challenged
marriage, difficulties in adoption, racism, diabetes and even sexual harassment.
Ganshert weaves a complex, multi-layered tale that mirrors
real life problems. Her characters are
real and relatable. By the end of the
book, each character experiences growth and hope.
My one disappointment was that although the women would have
claimed to be believers, Christianity didn’t seem to impact their behavior very
much. The church or the Bible didn’t
seem very relevant to the answers to the problems they faced despite having
Bible study groups pray or verses occasionally quoted. And maybe this is part of the problem: a vibrant faith isn’t impacting problems in
society today.
Katie Ganshert brings these challenges to the forefront in a
powerful way by using fiction. It is my hope
that this book will stimulate conversation and change. She has given me much to ponder.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in
exchange for this, my honest review.
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