Review: Resurrection in May by Lisa Samson

As you may have noted if you are a regular reader, Lisa Samson is one of my favorite authors, so when Resurrection in May became available on Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program, I grabbed a copy.

Resurrection in May is the story of May, a young college graduate who was wandering drunk on the side of the road when Claudius picked her up and took her home to recover.  Luckily, he was a good guy.

Shortly thereafter she headed to Africa on a mission trip.  She'd been raised Catholic but would be the first to admit that she wasn't going for faith reasons.  However, once there she is so impressed by the priest at the mission that she went to confession for the first time in a long time and began to practice her faith.  Shortly thereafter, all the people in the village were killed, but she managed to survive; however her psychological and spiritual wounds were worse than her physical injuries.  Months later she was found and sent back to the US, and then to Claudius' farm to recover.  Resurrection in May takes her through her recovery period, which is years and she basically finds healing by reaching out to someone who needs her, but who cannot help her (or so she thinks).  

I enjoyed the book immensely.  As a somewhat doctrinaire Catholic I would have liked to see May firmly in the bosom of the Church, however her spiritual mentors back in the US aren't Catholic-though she never rejects Catholicism or says it is inadequate; rather the people in her path who lead her to new life aren't Catholic.  

The book is Christian fiction, but it is one of those I'd recommend even if Christian fiction isn't usually your thing.  Yes, May's faith is important to her recovery, and yes the book has a happy ending (though tinged with sorrow) but it isn't an in-your-face call to accept a particular version of Christianity.   Grade:  A.