BookOpinion

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: “House”, a highly stylized work of Christian fiction, is a collaboration between well-read authors, Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker.

Four individuals, in anguish of soul, bitter and disillusioned with their lives, find themselves lost in the remote back woods of Alabama and become stranded at the Wayside Inn, a seemingly peaceful, old world manor, a site of refuge. But within minutes of page turning, it becomes apparent that the Wayside Inn is no genteel haven but rather a house most haunted, which literally mirrors the desperate, hopeless issues and human flaws of each character.

Into this cauldron of unresolved problems enters White, owner of the house and a purely evil entity who unequivocally states that he has “killed God and demands one dead body….Game over at Dawn.” Desperate to escape, Jack and Stephanie and Randy and Leslie attempt to find a way out of a confusing mass of hallways and meandering, endless basement passages only to realize that there is truly no way out. Anguish, regret and bitterness rapidly become anger, malice and self-preservation as they attempt to choose who should die so that the others may live…a blood sacrifice has been demanded. Into this rather hysterical scene, appears a young, innocent girl, Susan, who promises to lead them to safety if they will but do exactly as she says. Will they place their pathetic lives into Susan’s youthful hands or succumb to the rapidly rising disbelief, panic and hateful manipulations rising in their hearts? Will anyone escape or will the House claim each of their lives?

If you are a Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker fan, this unusual book is probably a must read for you. However, the gap between the unredeemed, anguished soul and the merciful, atoning love of a welcoming God was never quite bridged. The story became slightly confusing, the dialogue stiff and the outcome, while satisfying to a degree, left me a bit frustrated. “House” has the makings of an excellent story but the book taken in its entirety is less than gratifying. Frankly, I gave it a C+ and admit to looking forward to a more readable, enthralling novel from Peretta and Dekker in the near future.

But don’t allow “House” to cloud your view of the fact that we have here two master storytellers whose books are vivid, exciting and inspiring. Perhaps this work was an experiment that went slightly awry in the authors’ desire to present divine atonement as an open offer to any who will accept it…let’s hope their next collaboration will achieve that.

– Rebecca Crosswy