Waking Lazarus
by T.L. Hines
Published by Bethany House Publishers
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
Christian Fiction has long been accused of avoiding the difficult realities of life. That is no longer true.
In the past several years, Christian publishing houses have stepped up to the plate and are addressing difficult and different issues. It may not play well with some, but I personally believe it is a step in the right direction. Life is mysterious. Life is difficult. And life is a miraculous adventure of faith and grace when traveled with God. T.L. Hines is a welcomed addition to this new phase in Christian writing and I applaud his marvelous efforts.
Jude Allman first died by drowning when he was eight years old. He then died at age sixteen and again at age twenty-four. Like Lazarus, he returned from the dead. But Jude's life became fodder for the media and the public. To avoid the scrutiny of the world he changed his identity and escaped to Montana.
But Jude couldn't escape his unusual history. That history greatly impacted his personality and mental health. He's paranoid, unhappy and uncertain about everything, even God.
Children are missing from the surrounding communities of Red Lodge, Montana where Jude currently lives and he may be the only person who can rid the community of the evil living among them. But in doing so he must take some risks. His own life of dying must be faced and the life of his son may be in jeopardy.
Perhaps Jude's resurrections are for a reason yet unknown, but to be revealed at the right moment in time.
God can do all things. And He does them in His own way and in His own time. There will be those who won't like the idea of modern-day resurrections. I would suggest suspending the idea of what and how we think God should work and simply look to the miracles of God in everyday life and accept. Waking Lazarus will be in my top ten 2006 picks because it has inspired me to look to the miracles in my life and the reasons for them. And because it is a scintillating read.
Armchair Interviews says: T.L. Hines debut novel is stunning. His writing is crisp and fast paced. The characters are fully developed and the plot is spiritually complex and fascinating. It is original suspense at its finest.