Sensible Shoes : A Story About the Spiritual Journey

I have always found the power of books to be incredible. How is it that one book can challenge your view on a topic, or make you internalise something you have been avoiding for years?

I think that it is because the book isn't directly about you. You can face your own worries and fears through somebody else and indirectly ask yourself the questions they are asking. Somehow, it makes it okay.

This is what I found with Sensible Shoes. Half the time I found myself reading chapter upon chapter, whereas in other moments I could barely get through two or three pages without crying or retreating into my zone of avoidance.

But this book has done more for me the few weeks that I spent reading it than any other book this year. I took a challenge this year to read more, but not just any books. I wanted to read more Christian literature, particularly Christian fiction. As can be seen from my other reviews I really took to Biblical fiction. It captured me in a story that actually happened and helped the Bible stories come to life.

This Christian fiction book, however, was very different. Suddenly I was thrown from a world of plagues, cities of refuge, and early church persecution to a modern day, very raw and real, sometimes mundane, 21st century. It did take a little while for me to adjust in all honesty because of how relevant it felt to the now. Not to say that the Biblical Fiction wasn't relevant. But I went from learning about having faith in God under the Mosaic Law to reading about someone struggling to maintain control in their faith and another learning how to grieve for their late husband. VERY different situations...

Sharon Brown captured her audience in a very effective way with four very different characters. Her complexity in writing these characters is incredible. Rather than having just one character trait that is focused on, Brown really shows the multi-faceted nature of being human.

The blurb says:

Hannah, a pastor who doesn't realise how exhausted she is.

Meg, a widow and recent empty-nester who is haunted by her past.

Mara, a woman who has bounced from relationship to relationship, trying to navigate a difficult marriage.

Charissa, a hard-working graduate student who wants to get things right.

And yes, those are the overarching storylines. But Brown manages to capture so much complexity. Hannah is not only burnt out, but she learns over the course of the book how much of a mask she wears when interacting with others because she cannot let them see her slip. Meg has to learn to rewrite her memory of her father, learn to grieve for her husband and learn what God's love truly means. Mara has to rewrite her definition of God and who he is and Charissa has to learn not only to let go of control but learn self-sacrifice and reflect on where in her life that need that has stemmed from.

I actually found myself getting so frustrated with Hannah because she just wouldn't open up or talk to anyone. But just as the book encourages those in the retreat to face those things that frustrate you and question why, I found myself questioning why Hannah's journey bugged me so much. And I realised that it was because I relate so much with her.

I have taken many personality tests over the years and I have always been on the borderline. I am never FULLY extrovert or FULLY introvert. In one that we took in intermediate, I remember getting high marks for FOUR categories! It felt like that test all over again. I would read one character's section and say "Yes that's me!!!" but then read the next and realise "Oh yeah, that's me too..."

And I think that is what you too will find with this book. It isn't just any only book. This book will challenge you, and uplift you, and teaching you that God is a good God who loves you and has a good plan. There are some things that we cannot explain. But He understands and He knows.

He is El Roi - the God who watches, the God who found Hagar in the wilderness.

You will find yourself walking through the spiritual retreat alongside these characters and I pray that you fall head-first into the process. Take notes, cry, laugh, celebrate, and mourn.

I cannot wait to read the second book!!

Until later,

Michaela.