Every once in a while I'll read a book outside my
genre, and Take A Stand fits the
bill. I've never read a Christian fiction book before - I didn't even know the
category existed until recently!
Two major story lines are running concurrently. In
one, Christians are being persecuted and in the second, we are privy to the
growing love between Sean and Emma.
The interesting thing about this book, Sean is a
single-minded ex-Marine with a hot temper. He says he doesn't like playing
games in relationships, then sneaks out of his best friend's house for days and
ignored his calls - with a smile on his face. He's oblivious about being
exactly what he dislikes! When you add all his faults together, it should make
for a one-dimensional, boring main character that you can't stand - yet it's
the complete opposite in this story. Sean is my favorite character! I really cared
about what happened to him.
Bandusky's writing is well done. It seemed a little
bogged down in some areas because I wanted to read faster than my brain could
go. It was a suspenseful story - I read it in two days.
Despite my disagreeing with Sean's views, it was
easy to read. He thinks Jesus is the only way, for every single person, as a
path to salvation and he literally says it's the truth like a tree is a tree -
a narrow-minded view with no room for other's views. The irony is that he then
fights the government after a law is passed that Christians cannot own bibles
or talk about their beliefs in public. (Or in private for that matter but I don't
want to give too much away.)
Sean has to decide when and where to take a stand,
not sure who's with him or how far they'll go for their beliefs. He's fighting
a secret organization telling him what's right and what to think just as he
tells others the same.
The irony adds an extra dimension to the story
because Sean is so adamant and self-righteous, but so is the secret
organization.
The highlight of the story for me is the
relationship between Sean and Emma as well as Sean and his best friend.
Actually, it's delightful to read Sean's
interactions with anyone because you just don't know how this guy is going to
act!
I won't say anything about the end because it'll
give it away but I will say these characters stay with you.
Here's my biggest complaint: There are certain
things you don't do in my preferred genre (cozy mysteries) that Bandusky did.
Why would I be unfair about applying rules of one genre to another? Simply
because it was completely unnecessary. It was tacked on and the novel would
have stood just fine without that one sentence. (Spoiler: She kills animals but
not in a detailed way. They're in the wrong place and the wrong time. The book
would have been fine without it.)
I recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense.