Tuesday, August 9, 2016

My Bookshelf: Through the Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer

A past filled with shame can be washed away with a love that conquers all.
Born to an unloving prostitute in a popular Chicago brothel, timid seventeen-year-old Dinah Hubley was raised amidst the secrets held in every dark, grimy room of her home. Anxious to escape, Dinah pursues her dream of becoming a Harvey Girl, waiting tables along the railroad in an upscale hotel. But when she finds out she isn’t old enough, her only option is to accept a job as a chambermaid at the Clifton Hotel in Florence, Kansas. Eager to put everything behind her, Dinah feels more worthless than ever, based on a single horrible decision she made to survive.
The Clifton offers a life Dinah has never known, but blinded to the love around her, Dinah remains buried in the shame of her past. When a handsome chicken farmer named Amos Ackerman starts to show interest, Dinah withdraws further, convinced no one could want a sullied woman like her. Despite his self-consciousness about his handicapped leg and her strange behavior, Amos resolves to show Dinah Christ’s love. But can she ever accept a gift she so desperately needs?



Through the Deep Waters is a book I’ve been meaning to read for quite some time, especially since I purchased it a while back, and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it this past week. I’ve been a fan of Kim’s for a long time, and have read a decent number of her books, but I have to say this is by far one of my favorites that she’s written. There was just so much pain and suffering in the beginning of this story, and that just made the story all that much dearer to my heart and the redemptive ending all that much sweeter.
Dinah Hubley stole my heart from the very beginning. With all that she had been through in her short life, from being raised in a brothel and being shunned by everyone around her to facing a horrible decision and finding no way to escape, I couldn’t help but feel an immense amount of compassion for her. Plus, despite her standoffish ways with those around her at the Clifton Hotel, she really is just the sweetest and even most innocent—yes, I mean innocent—characters in this book. If you read this book, you’ll see exactly what I’m saying. Every time I saw her struggle with nightmares or fears or anything else connected to her past my heart went out to her, and I was so excited once I finally got to the end as I was dying to see her become a new creation in Christ.
Amos Ackerman was another fabulous character in this novel. Although I didn’t come to love him nearly as quickly as Dinah, I still realized his value fairly early on in the story. He was so sweet and accepting of Dinah in the beginning, even though she wasn’t sure she deserved it at the time, and I loved him for that. Though I had some moments when I was fairly irritated at him for one thing or other, I still loved him in the end, and that’s what matters.
All in all, I really loved this book, and I can happily give it all five bookshelves. It is such a great story of God’s love and true forgiveness and redemption, and I just couldn’t help but love every minute of it. I was so touched by Dinah’s story and the way Kim weaved God’s redemptive love through every part, and I know I will be reading this book someday again in the near future. I highly recommend it as a story that will definitely touch your heart and make you realize just how great God is, and I can promise that it is definitely one you will enjoy.
Happy reading!



To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Kim Vogel Sawyer and WaterBrook Publishing.

No comments:

Post a Comment