Mending Fences

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Series: The Deacon’s Family #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: February 5, 2019

Luke Schrock, fresh out of rehab, is apprehensive about returning to his Amish community.  He has hurt so many people and is not sure how he will be welcomed back into the folds.  He is given a second chance by the deacon, Amos Lapp, and his wife Fern, although he has to sleep in the office in the barn.  Amos and Fern have a penchant for helping wayward young people, and they have a young lady, Izzy Lapp, in addition to Luke, living with them.  Izzy knows Luke by reputation and makes it a point to ignore him or direct scathing comments toward him, all to Luke’s frustration.  He is so used to being able to charm any female, Amish or not, that he doesn’t understand why she holds so much animosity toward him.  Part of Luke’s condition of living with Fern and Amos is that he must begin his making amends part of the AA 12-step program.  He thinks just telling people sorry will be good enough, but Amos has other ideas.  Luke must apologize, hear how his actions affected others, and then try to fix the damage he has caused.  As Luke goes through his four-page list, he learns a lot about himself and about damages that others have incurred.

Luke has been mentioned in others of Woods Fisher’s books, but this is the first time he is the center of the story.  As the author develops her world of Stoney Ridge, readers can catch up on previous characters while meeting new ones.  It’s easy to feel as though these people are real-life friends and neighbors the more we read about them, and it’s no small feat not to be sucked into their lives, for the good.  We learn more and more about how the Amish live and how it is much more than being “simple.”  This book focuses on that message, of one’s love for and commitment to God, more than it has in any other book.  Forgiveness and redemption also play a big part in the story, and more than one character is able to heal as a result of that powerful lesson.

This new Bishop series explores the lives of the people of Stoney Creek who have been chosen to be the church and community leaders, and it is refreshing to see how so much of their lives parallel ours, yet on a much simpler level.  They face many of the same problems we do, yet they rely on their faith and community in order to solve them.  Hopefully readers can be entertained while learning something along the way.  If for nothing else, I strongly encourage readers of Amish Fiction or Christian literature to give this book a try for its sweet message of hope and forgiveness.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.