The Sky Beneath My Feet by Lisa Samson

 

Beth, a pastor's wife, finds herself in the middle of a emotional minefield when her husband moves out to the shed for a month to "spend time with God."  She finds herself feeling completely neglected, overlooked by her teenaged sons, and managing a life that she never planned, dreamed of, or believed in.  Through some crazy series of events, she finds herself in the midst of the "rent-a-mob" who are a group of protesters with no common goal except for passionate protest.  She actually grows to like her husband, "St. Rick" living in the shed, pondering his career moves and leaving her quite alone.  Sometimes when Beth looks in the mirror, she sees glimpses of her past self and wonders who that person actually was, until she realizes that it is time to find that out.

This book is extremely well written, prolific in its human experiences, peering into the cracks of life and pulling up either desperation or hope.  It explores many cultures and sub-cultures with insight and accuracy, especially the Evangelical Christian Church.  I found it so real that it almost became someone's personal story instead of a work of fiction. 

I did not enjoy The Sky Beneath My Feet as an easy read, feel good book.  It made me think, really examine all of its elements.  There was a feeling of exposure into the inner workings of "the church" at large and it made me feel uncomfortable. Sometimes God exposes such things to get people to really look and think and examine them, in order to restore and heal them.  Lisa Samson has such incredible writing talents she is able to bring up deep issues in a fictional way, to get the reader to ponder them.

There was also lots to enjoy; larger-than-life, quirky characters, and this is not a reproduction of anything I have ever read.  I thought it so funny, the idea of Pastor Rick going into the shed to "hear the voice of God" and everything that comes out of that.  The end of the story comes together well and is very redeeming.

5 Stars Out of 5

I got this book for free from BookSneeze, contingent on an unbiased review.