Matters of Faith

Just finished this, when I needed sleep. I loved it. Usually I don't love books that tell a story from various points of view, but it worked well here.

Based on the description on the book's back cover, I expected a different story, one that dealt more with Marshall, his girlfriend, Ada, and his sister, Megan. Instead, the story is told mostly by Marshall's mother, Chloe [but with help from Marshall], and deals not only with Megan's medical emergency but the impact it has on Chole's family and her already-strained marriage. While Chole's captivating, read-it-in-a-single-sitting tale rings so true, I couldn't help but wish for more from Marshall and Ada.

When I read a review of this book , I knew that it was a book that I had to read. This book is about a family that has a child with life-threatening food allergies but it is also about so much more. You see, it is especially meaningful to me as , I too, have a child with life-threatening food allergies and know from first hand experience what it is like to raise a child with severe food allergies.

It was challenging to read parts of the book as they hit so close to home and were so realistic. This did not take away from the book for me at all. I loved the book and had trouble putting it down! I found the strength of the writing and characters extremely well done. The author alternates the narrative between the mother Chloe and the son show more Marshall which was very effective to delve into their deepest thoughts. After I finished the book, I felt like I knew the family. The author was able to describe their thoughts and emotions in a way that the reader felt connected to them in a personal way.

This book is not just a book about food allergies it is about so much more. It addresses the issues of Faith...forcing the reader to examine what the meaning of faith is to the characters in the book as well as challenge their own definition of faith as faith has many meanings and interpretations. It brought to light the theme of faith related to religion as well as medical science and healing.

It also addresses the issues of marriage and how it can change over the years for better and for worse. It also looks at how a husband and wife can handle a tragedy and what that can do to a marriage and a family.

I found that the author was very accurate in her descriptions and details of food allergies and reactions and medical issues overall. I am also a health professional so these issues were important to me to be accurate when you are dealing with a story even in a fictional way related to a very serious topic such as food allergies. Food allergies are on the rise and we are meeting more friends and adults who have or have a family member with life threatening food allergies. It is vitally important to educate yourself as so many people don't realize that ingesting or coming into contact via smell or touch with just a small amount of an allergen (Ex. Peanut) can be a life and death situation for someone with a life-threatening food allergy

I highly recommend Matters of Faith to all and especially think it would be a great book to discuss with a friend or book club. There is a lot to talk about related to the themes in the book.

Matters of Faith was just released on August 5th and was chosen as a "Hot Summer Read" by Chicago Tribune and as an IndieNext Notable Title for September 2008. Congratulations to Kristy Kiernan for a wonderful book!

**This was taken from my book review posted on my blog. Please check out the full review here:

http://redladysreadingroom-redlady.blogspot.com/2008/08/book-review-matters-of-f... show less

I loved that the book dealt with faith - beliefs - religion. It was pretty condensed, condensed in that it dealt with a LOT and was fairly tidy. Also, the mother in the family, Chloe, narrated and described challenges between herself and her husband as if they'd been going on for years...which I, as the reader, didn't fully see, because the book started after they'd been married for many years. That said, I wanted to keep reading, I really wanted to find out what happened, and some of the descriptions about religion and belief were really well done.

Chloe is feeling the effects of a slightly strained marriage and the discomfort of her son, Marshall, bringing home a new girlfriend who is part of an odd group of a small religious sect who has sent her to college on scholarship. Marshall has been searching for some kind of faith—any kind, really, since he saw his friend die at age twelve. But the entire family is thrown into a nightmare when Marshall’s girlfriend, Ava, sneaks peanut butter to Chloe’s younger daughter, Meghan while out on a boat and Meghan goes into severe anaphylactic shock with only one epiPen along; not enough to make it back in time, she ends up in a coma.

We see the family struggle with two points of view; Chloe’s in first person, and Marshall’s in third. show more There are praises for this novel from writers such as Jacquelyn Mitchard (The Deep End of the Ocean) and Sarah Gruen(Water for Elephants). I think, though, that Tasha Alexander (Only to Deceive) says the most helpful thing, and I’m merely summing it up; this is a book for fans of Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve. show less

What a great book! This was a story about family and faith and so much more. The characters were realistic and the situations were difficult at times. I found myself angry at a few of the characters several times throughout the story. This one will stay with me for some time. I will definitely look for more work by Kristy Kiernan!