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BOOK REVIEW: No Dark Valley
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by: Laura V. Hilton Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: No Dark Valley Author: Jamie Langston Turner Publisher: Bethany House Publishers ISBN: 0-7642-2730-0 Genre: Inspirational/Contemporary/Women/Fiction
The last time she saw her grandma alive, Celia Coleman promised she’d return home for the funeral. Now, her grandma has died. So, Celia invites her lover, Al, to accompany her, and together they face the many disapproving stares of Celia’s relatives and brave the overheard remarks made behind their backs. When Celia’s aunt takes her down to see her grandma’s body before they lay her to rest, Celia reluctantly goes, but when she gets there she is faced with the unexpected memories of the woman who raised her. Long before Celia is ready, they come to get her so they can start the funeral.
When Celia arrives home, she dumps Al and takes up tennis in his place. Then an unexpected letter arrives informing her that she is the sole inheritor of her grandmother’s house and all its contents. She is still trying to decide what she’s going to do with all that junk when her landlord informs her she’s showing her apartment to a young couple who want to build an apartment in their basement and want ideas. Wanting nothing more than to be alone, Celia reluctantly allows them in and faces unexpected demons when she discovers the woman carrying a small child. Will Celia ever be able to face her demons enough to accept God’s grace and forgiveness?
As a rule, I don’t like reflective books nor stories that start with funerals. No Dark Valley is both. In spite of those ‘drawbacks’ though, I was able to connect with Celia and see the world she lived in through her eyes, experiencing the pain and confusion that she faced.
No Dark Valley is a thick book, but I was able to read the whole thing in a few days. In spite of my dislike of the style, I couldn’t help but be drawn into the story, and I wanted to see what happened. The end of the book seemed rather rushed to me. It was not as well written and interesting as the rest of the book. I think the author actually did her best work when she wrote the reflective part of the book than she did the ‘here and now’ part.
I still have mixed feelings about No Dark Valley and can’t decide whether to recommend it as a book for the keeper shelf or not. The book certainly grows on the reader. I do think it’s a book that women fiction readers won’t want to miss.
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