I participated in the book tour for The Offering. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

You know those old wives tales that supposedly predict how many children you’ll have?  The “pencil test” that my friends and I all did (over and over again) always said I’d have three children.  Here I sit holding fast with two wonderful little ones.  So how could the old wives tale be true?   Read on.

While I read part of The Offering, my son sat on my lap playing with his iPod.  Absently I ran my fingers through his hair, then caught myself…..what if my son hadn’t been born?   It’s not the first time I’ve wondered this.    We had a miscarriage between my daughter and, five years later, my son.   Many times I’ve allowed myself a moment of heartache for that child who was lost.  Then I take a deep breath and remember that without that loss, I’d never know the joy of my son.   Our family would be completely different.    So for me, the old wives’ tale did ring true.  I did have three babies.  While only two of them were cradled in my arms, I know that our house in Heaven will house all five of us someday.  I’m trusting that Jesus is holding my middle child until I can get there.

Many of my friends and family had trouble conceiving a child.   Some of those dear ones went through IVF, some of them adopted, some of them chose to share their love by becoming a teacher or mentor.  Among my girlfriends, we all have that maternal instinct that makes us want the world to be one big happy family.  I think the main character, Mandy, is a little bit the same way.  She just gets more than she bargained for in her efforts.  Don’t read the summary on the back of the book!!  Consider yourself warned.   The Offering is a book that you won’t want to put down and you won’t soon forget.

Sometimes the writing style of the chapters was too choppy for me.  It gave me the impression that Mandy wasn’t a very intelligent girl.  I really wanted to think of her as an informed, responsible mother who went into her decisions with a purpose.  Additionally, I would love to have known more about her daughter Marilee.  The little girl was described as exceptional yet there wasn’t much about her in the story.  She even seems to be quite blase about the whole situation, something I’d expect a truly bright child to be extremely curious about.   In some instances Mandy seemed a bit selfish, leaving others to do the work while she “deserved” those extra few minutes of sleep.  That reflection of her character seemed so incongruent with the amazing gift of a baby she was giving to a childless couple.   I can’t say that I was happy with the ending, but I don’t know that I would have been able to resolve the situation in ANY way.   Every resolution seemed just wrong to me.   You’ll know what I mean when you read it.   There were so many true statements in the book, though, that I really valued what I took away.    It might seem as though I didn’t like the book.  That’s absolutely not true.  It’s just one of those stories that I couldn’t reconcile in my own heart.  If you only pick up one story this summer, this should be it.