Insight
Author: Diana Greenwood
Publisher: Zondervan, 2011
Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl
Age: 15 up, Young Adult fiction
Until now I have never reviewed a book, but I would like to make an exception with Diana Greenwood's debut young adult novel Insight. I recently met Diana at a writers' conference last spring and just now got around to reading her book. What a delight, I couldn't put it down once I got started. As a history buff, I was tickled to travel down the road in the 1940s in a beat up old truck with the family's main character Elvira on a crowded road trip, complete with campgrounds and a seedy motel, from remote Wisconsin to the shores of California. But it was this young teenager's coming to terms with her father's disappearance in the war that I found so compelling. Added to this mix, Elvira is faced with a distant mother, a cantankerous grandmother, and a little sister who has a strange ability to see the future, along with a kind pastor (their driver) who offers a new perspective on faith. This is published by a Christian publisher, but there are other good reasons to read this coming of age novel. Elvira's struggles in a difficult setting would resonate with young adults anywhere, and there is a heartwarming surprise at the end.
Copyright 2011 © Sharon M. Himsl
