The Edge of Recall by Kristen Heitzmann

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Edge Of Recall
(Bethany House July 1, 2008)
by
Kristen Heitzmann


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Of her three main interests, art, music and writing, she chose to study English at the University of Colorado and thrived on Creative Writing and Literature classes. She married her husband Jim, and turned her energy to building a family. They have four children whom they have home schooled for all or most of their education. Kristen is a music minister with the ecumenical covenant community People of Praise.

Once she realized the stories in her head were truly a calling from the Lord, she made writing not just a passion, but a ministry. She has written seven historical fiction novels as part of the The Rocky Mountain Legacy series, the Diamond of the Rockies series, and the Christy Award winner Secrets. Most recently, she has written several contemporary fiction novels, including Echoes, Freefall and Unforgotten.

Kristen and her husband, Jim, and their family live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she serves as worship leader in their church.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Tessa Young, an up-and-coming landscape architect who specializes in the design and creation of labyrinths, has immersed herself in the mythological, spiritual, and healing aspects of the elaborate structures. She also is searching for God and hoping to make sense of the nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.

When Smith Chandler, an estranged colleague--with whom she'd half fallen in love a dozen times before catching herself every time--calls to propose a project he claims is the opportunity of a lifetime, she reluctantly agrees to check it out. Smith is reconstructing a pre-Revolutionary War abbey for wealthy clients. Among its remarkable features is an overgrown labyrinth.

Unable to resist, Tessa accepts his offer to work with him. Soon she is immersed in the project of a lifetime. But one evening, after weeks of work in the labyrinth, Tessa and Smith are attacked. While protecting Tessa, Smith is stabbed, and the nightmare begins...again.


If You would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

MY REVIEW:
Do you know the definition of a labyrinth? I thought I did. Let me share with you the definition Kristen Heitzmann’s main character, Tessa (a labyrinth specialist) gives such a creation. “Labyrinths imitate designs found in nature, in even the human form, that are too perfect to be accidental. So it points to a creator. You walk toward the source of that order, releasing the chaos of daily life, seeking wisdom and wholeness. On the outward journey you return to the world – metaphorically – with the insights gained within.” (p. 96) I find it extremely clever that Tessa defines something so true as it relates to our relationship with Christ – at a time when she didn’t understand such truth herself.

I have shared all of that information in order to tell you this. The Edge of Recall is as intricate a journey as any labyrinth ever created. Kristen Heitzmann takes you through the mind of a terribly wounded person - Tessa. Others have attempted to walk the path toward the truth of her trauma for years, only to be turned back by the monsters they encounter. However, the time has come for the truth to be revealed. Smith – Tessa’s old flame from college – calls her into a contract to reconstruct a historically and spiritually significant labyrinth. As they begin to work together, it becomes apparent that there is another, more troubled mind in their midst who has become enraged that someone has intruded upon the only home he has ever known.

As Tessa and Smith begin to reconstruct the labyrinth, Tessa’s mind begins to recall disturbing events of her past that have troubled her for years while her heart begins to rediscover long-dead feelings for her old beau. Unexplained movement and removal of a variety of objects on the property combine with regional ghost stories to create a story path so twisted that it’s hard to tell where reality begins and ends!! Kristen Heitzmann weaves a complicated plot around a central truth and you are pulled in one step at a time until you long to step out into reality once again. When you finally reach the last page of her story, you find yourself returning to the world with new insights about God and His loving faithfulness that will leave you stronger for having completed the journey. Begin your own journey by purchasing a copy of this book here today!