Until the Mountains Fall - Connilyn Cossette

Rivkah, the daughter of the priest in Kedesh, has witnessed many years of pain and frustration; the death of her mother, which nobody understands, her marriage to a man she barely knows - and then his death - and now levirate marriage to his brother - a boy that has tormented and teased her since childhood.

When life feels as if it is too much and that everything is out of control, Rivkah decides to leave it all behind and start fresh. Through her journey away from her hometown, however, Rivkah falls deeper and deeper into a pit of guilt and imagination - one that leads to believe that she cannot be saved, loved, or forgiven. You know those conversations you have in your mind where you construct the comments of your loved ones. That is the reality of Rivkah, every day for five years.

On the other side of the story is Malakhi - a man who plays two characters in this book. In the beginning he is lighthearted yet confident. He is a man who knows what he wants and is determined to do everything he can to get it. He is a man of his word, loyal, and faithful to the end. Yet in the wake of Rivkah's desertion, he becomes ruined. The pain of her betrayal leads him to be callous and resentful, unwilling to move past this painful chapter in his life. Only a few understand the depth of his pain as linked to his deep love for Rivkah. And so after five years of waiting, in order to honour Rivkah's father, he goes and searches for her.

I could not put this book down. I think this is mostly because this book is so unexpected. I have heard this word travelling around a lot in my life lately and it is SO true in this situation. I had no idea what would happen next. With each page turn I assumed something would happen, and then something completely different would. And I must say, it was an extremely unexpected, but lovely, surprise.

Rivkah reminded me a lot of myself. I know that almost everyone has gone through a similar time of walking away and doing things they shouldn't have and then learning about God's grace and coming home - but it was in the way Rivkah internalised it that I saw the similarities. She held on to the pain and almost let it define her - using it to remind her of her place and how she felt like she almost deserved to be there because how could she come home. It was in this that Connilyn was so true to real life, not giving in to the fantasies of fiction. There were some people in this book who struggled to forgive Rivkah - in this way it was honest. We can't always expect everyone to love us and move on. When we cause pain, sometimes the consequences are out of our hands. But it is through characters such as Malakhi and her father Amitai that we realise that grace is possible. Hope is possible. And that sometimes, we need to stop allowing our past and our mistakes to define who we are in the present and the future. It is God who defines us and who has the power to wash away our sins.

One moment that really stuck out to me was Rivkah's relationship to God throughout this process. She did not abandon His ways, though she abandoned Him. Over time she believed the lie that He could not forgive her, but in such a way that she was almost too afraid to approach Him because it meant vocalising the mistakes she had made. It meant confronting her past. In many ways, this resonated with me. Through everything I have done, I feel liked I stick to God's ways because I know His ways are best, but that doesn't mean I have the confidence to turn to Him and speak. Just as Rivkah, I have been too afraid.

This book was beautiful and I guarantee that you will not be able to put it down. The story is thrilling and it ties together storylines from the whole series. Reparations are made in lifelong rifts and closure is found. I would highly recommending venturing through Kedesh, Laish, and Edrei with Rivkah and Malakhi.

Thank you Connilyn for another beautiful, heart-wrenching story. I cannot wait for the next one.

Until later,

Michaela.