Letters of Wisdom {Review}

 

Part of the Friendship Letters Series, Letters of Wisdom shares the story of Irma Miller, a young wife and mother with a secret abusive past.  She thought that moving away from home and starting her own family would allow her to forget, but when her abusive step-father dies and she returns for the funeral, all the old emotions come bubbling to the surface.  Irma finds herself sinking further and further into emotional turmoil, beginning to repeat the mistakes of the past with her own children.  Can she recover from the abuse?  Or will the cycle continue?

Author Wanda E. Brunstetter continues her Friendship Letters series, addressing tough topics in a tender manner.  This series has already addressed alcoholism and depression, and now turns to childhood abuse.  Brunstetter does an excellent job of portraying the issues in an honest manner without being too gritty or overly graphic.  Still Irma's emotions are raw and portray the true struggle that victims go through.  

Letters of Wisdom also does a good job of drawing on the importance of community.  Irma writes letters to her two best friends (Doretta and Eleanor), who pray for and support her.  It's through their support and the support of her husband that Irma is finally able to reach out for professional help and heal the hurts of the past.  It's also through community support that her mother and siblings find healing as well.  

This book could be read as a stand alone title, but it so much richer within the series.  All three books are written exceptionally well, touching on tough topics in a Biblical and healing manner.  This one, in particular, felt very honest and real.  I'm happy to see an author addressing these issues in a sensitive way, filling a void in the fiction genre.  I would definitely recommend this book and feel like any of the titles in this series would make good book club selections.  These are topics that just aren't touched on enough.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.