The Sinners' Garden
by William Sirls
Description
In the small Lake Erie township of Benning, someone is at work cultivating a supernatural garden …
Andy Kemp’s young life has been as ravaged as his scarred face. Disfigured by an abusive father, the teenager hides behind his books and an impenetrable wall of cynicism and anger.
As Andy’s mother struggles to reconnect with him, his Uncle Rip returns transformed from a stint in prison and wants to be a mentor to the reclusive boy, doing everything he can to help end Andy’s pain. When Andy begins hearing strange music through his iPod and making near-prophetic announcements, Rip is convinced that what Andy is hearing is the voice of God.
Elsewhere, police officer Heather Gerisch responds to a late-night breaking and entering in one of the poorest homes in town. She soon realizes that the masked prowler has left thousands of dollars in gift cards from a local grocery store.
As the bizarre break-ins continue and Heather pursues the elusive “Summer Santa,” Andy and Rip discover an enormous and well-kept garden of wildflowers that seems to have grown overnight at an abandoned steel mill.
Soon, they realize who the gardener is, and a spree of miracles transfigures this small town from a place of hopelessness into a place of healing and beauty.
Biography
Over the course of his life, William Sirls has experienced both great highs and tremendous lows--some born of chance, some born of choice. Life lessons involving faith, grace, and forgiveness are evident in his writing. "The Sinners’ Garden" is his second novel. His first novel, "The Reason," was published in 2012. William makes his home in southern Michigan and you can reach him at WilliamSirls.com.
My Review ~
In a small town on Lake Erie bizarre events occur, creating questions why a 14-year-old boy would begin to hear strange music from his iPod, and speak prophetic proclamations to a handful of people. His face is badly scarred as the result of scalding water splashing his face as a small child, As a result Andy has withdrawn into a world of books, leaving his mother devastated and guilt ridden, unable to bridge the gap that exists between them. His uncle is his mentor, and spends as much time as possible with Andy. A Summer Santa of sorts begins leaving large sums of money and gifts for needy people in the community, and a mysterious flower garden appears behind Andy's family property. This garden is an enigma, but definitely containing a spiritual presence witnessed by a select few.
The Sinners' Garden is a heart wrenching story of unique characters, very well defined and authentic. The locale is described in an explicit manner, creating an atmosphere of convincing proportions. This book is filled with spiritual themes that are interwoven into the lives of each of the individuals represented in this book. As guilt evolves into forgiveness, forgiveness leads to hope and love. The flower garden holds the keys to unresolved issues in the lives of those it affects. This supernatural garden represents heaven, healing grace, and forgiveness of sins. As the affected characters in this story sense and eventually visualize God in the garden their lives take on new meaning. The power of faith leads to mercy and grace in this spiritual journey. I highly recommend this incredibly unique story of the power of God's love as evidenced in the lives of a colorful cast of characters. It's a page turner that will keep you questioning where this journey will leave you.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity Group and Thomas Nelson Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.
