About the Book

Book: The Pages of Her Life

Author: James L. Rubart Pages-of-Her-Life-cover-198x300

Genre: Christian fiction – suspense

Release Date: May 21, 2019

Award-winning and bestselling author James L. Rubart explores the way our memories shape us . . . and how they affect our beliefs.

Allison Moore has no idea why she got out of her car on that rainy March afternoon and picked up the soaked journal laying on the side of the road. Brought it home. But she did. It was empty. Except for two lines scrawled in the front, too washed out to read. And a Jesus emblem inside the back cover. Something about the journal compels her to start writing in it, capturing thoughts about her newly acquired job that she thought would be heaven, but has turned into hell. Then one day, she finds words in the center of the journal. Words she didn’t write: Mene mene tekel upharsin. After her heart stops hammering, Allison Googles the phrase, and reads the story of Belshazzar’s Feast, where a hand from God writes on the wall, and the king is slain. Fear grips her, certain God is coming after her for what she did twelve years back. What she’s done wrong her whole life. She vows to make things right. Then she discovers more phrases appearing underneath each of her journal entries. Those phrases take her on an emotional roller coaster that forces her to look at everything she believes about her past in a new light, and opens her eyes to a supernatural realm of staggering consequence.

   
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My Review

“…secrets did not make for strong alliances.” And yet, in The Pages of Her Life, by James Rubart, we see a family thrown into a Twilight Zone setting by the death of the father and husband who kept unwelcome secrets. Allison, and her estranged brother, Parker, have difficulty in their lives as they try to escape the legacy of inadequacy their father bestowed upon them. An old journal and a stranger are about to shake up their lives forever.
This novel was a great reminder for me that not everything that seems to be of God really is. Certainly, some people claimed to love God in the book, but their actions proved just the opposite. They were their own gods. I wanted to cry with Allison as she begins to figure this out. It is easy to relate with her and her brother, as all the outer trimmings are stripped away and each is forced to look at his most basic needs.
Of course, there is the mysterious working of God. The journal was unpredictable. “God isn’t working on my time frame, I’m working on his.” As I finish the novel, I have to say I feel like it is imaginative, yet there is that piece of me that says, “all things are possible with God.”
In a few places, there were large portions of Scripture written out. That seemed to detract from the smoothness of the story. I felt that in at least one instance, the Scripture story could have been shared shortly and easily without being long and drawn-out, given that it is a familiar story.
My other little issue is a theological one. I can’t share it without a spoiler, but I will say that many Christians, including me, may be surprised when we get to heaven and find out that things we held tightly to as Biblical absolutes are not. Also, the novel couldn’t happen without this theological difference, and that’s ok.
One quote I will adopt as my own for fun:
“She really needed to get in the habit of waking up before she decided to think.”
Most memorable quote?

The Pages of Her Life
“Choose to believe the kingdom is in your midst and is here to set you free.” The Jews missed this when Jesus came the first time. Allison and Parker have their turns to choose freedom or bondage. Now it is our turn; which will we choose?
“Got it” quote?
“Compared to the ocean, she felt small. Insignificant. And that was a good thing. A reminder that He was God, she was not, and that all along He’d had a plan to rescue her.”
What a great tome to cause the mind’s cogs to start turning! And turning mine are. Pass me another Rubart, please.
References by other readers have been made to a previous book, Rooms. I have not read that and understood The Pages of Her Life well. I feel it stands alone on its own merit.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

My Rating

About the Author

James L. Rubart is a professional marketer and speaker. He is the author of the best-selling novel Rooms as well as Book of Days, The Chair, Soul’s Gate, Memory’s Door, and Rubart-James-240x300 Spirit Bridge. He lives with his wife and sons in the Pacific Northwest. Website: www.jameslrubart.com Twitter: @jameslrubart Facebook: JamesLRubart