Books like Rachel's Contrition

It's easy to see why Rachel's Contrition was awarded a Catholic Arts & Letters Award (CALA) by the Catholic Writers Guild, for best fiction of 2011 in the adult category. It is an extraordinarily well-written book, and it's a real page-turner.Be warned, however: this is no lighthearted "beach read." The subject matter is quite difficult, excruciatingly so at times. After the death of her baby daughter, Rachel Winters' marriage falls apart, she loses custody of her four-year-old son, and she is in danger of losing her very sanity as well. Her grief is so well-described and so harrowing, any mother will be able to relate to it--because even if she hasn't lost a child, she can well imagine every awful accident that could put her in Rachel's shoes.What really drew me to this book (long before I met author Michelle Buckman in person, when I saw the title listed on a Catholic blog I was reading) is the fact that St. Therese of Lisieux--a favorite saint of mine--actually plays a big role. When she's about as down and out as she can get, Rachel Winters finds a tattered holy card with a "sketch of a nun" on it--and afterward keeps seeing glimpses a young woman very much like the one on the card. St. Therese seems to be doing for Rachel just what she promised before her death, when she said she would spend her heaven doing good on earth...showering roses down from the heavens. And if anyone could use a heavenly helper, it's this agonized mother who has lost absolutely everything and is desperately seeking forgiveness, redemption, and peace.I know I said it already, but I can't stress enough how beautifully written this book is. I highly, highly recommend it. You will not be able to meet Rachel Winters and be unmoved by her story, as you accompany her on her very own "Way of the Cross." I only finished Buckman's award-winning novel a couple of weeks ago, but I know I will probably re-read it before the year is out--it's that good.