Sierra Wright is a brilliant 15-year-old girl living in a rough part of Houston. Only, most folks look past her brilliance because she works so hard to hide it, not talking to others, not turning in homework assignments, and not making friends. A chance walk through a neighborhood across the bayou brings her to Luca's house, a house bare of any touches to make it a home, yet with a library filled with books and a man filled with insight for those other than his son. People are suspicious of why a 15-year-old girl would be spending time in an old man's house, and accusations are cast. Yet, Sierra's mother, April, can't discount the fascination her brilliant, withdrawn daughter has for this man, and April finds herself caught up in his story, and that of his son, Nick, the teacher who recognized Sierra's brilliance and kept her from bottoming out. Four people, equally broken, yet for very different reasons. Can they find a way to expose their truths and heal each other?
I cannot say enough good things about this book. The characters are so broken, yet so real. Their need for truth is so apparent, yet their wounds keep them from being able to spill their own stories until they learn that they will not only heal themselves, but their loved ones through telling them. And overall, the knowledge that God is truth, and that He is there, even in the pain, is so real it's heartbreaking. No, God doesn't heal all wounds. No, God isn't always there in the way you want Him to be. But He IS there.
In addition to the writing and the characters, I loved all the small details in this book. I loved Sierra's fascination with languages, and the way she saw art in words. I loved that Luca found peace through cooking and that he was always offering food to those who made it past his door. I loved Nick's care of his father, even though he had been so hurt by him. I loved how they all came together and apart and together again throughout the book as they healed and hurt and grieved and loved. Even the side characters in this book were well-done and lent weight to the story and the main characters without making the plot too busy.
I very rarely give 5 stars to fiction books, but this one has earned it. It was well-written, well-paced, and steeped in truth and vulnerability. I highly recommend it.
You can find The Language of Sparrows HERE for only $2.39 on e-book right now!
You can find the author's website HERE. I hope to hear more from this author soon!
Please tell me if you read this book and if it affected you as deeply as it affected me!
I received a copy of this ebook from David C. Cook publishers, in exchange for my honest review.
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