CFBA presents LEAVING YESTERDAY by Kathryn Cushman

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Leaving Yesterday
(Bethany House - October 1, 2009)
by
Kathryn Cushman



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I graduated from Samford University with a degree in pharmacy, but I’ve known all my life that I wanted to write a novel “some day”. For me, “some day” came about five years ago, when I started writing and never looked back.

My third attempt became my first published novel.

A Promise to Remember was a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers Book-of-the-Year in the Women’s Fiction category, and Waiting for Daybreak was a finalist in Women’s Fiction for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award. Leaving Yesterday just arrived on scene and I’m very excited about it!

On the homefront, I’ve been married to the wonderful and handsome Lee for over twenty years now, and our two daughters are currently braving the worlds of elementary and high school. We’ve lived in Santa Barbara for the last seventeen years. When I’m not writing or reading or braving seventy degree holidays, you’ll find me watching the younger daughter play softball, or the older daughter building amazing high school theater sets


ABOUT THE BOOK

Alisa Stewart feels like she's lost two sons: her youngest to a terrible tragedy and her eldest, Kurt, to a life ruined by addiction. But now Kurt has checked himself into rehab and found a healing faith that seems real. It's like he's been raised from the dead.

But then a detective arrives at Alisa's door asking questions about a murder--the death of a drug dealer before Kurt entered rehab. Alisa fears losing her son again, and when she finds evidence linking him to the killing, she destroys it. Her boy is different now. He's changed and deserves a second chance.

But when another man is charged with the crime, Alisa finds herself facing an impossible choice: be silent and keep her son or give up everything for the truth.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Leaving Yesterday, go HERE


JEN'S THOUGHTS

The only thing worse than losing one son is losing two. In Leaving Yesterday, Kathryn Cushman delves into the mind of woman desperate to save the son she has left.

After the brutal murder of her youngest son, Alisa Stewart sees her eldest, Kurt, slip into a lifestyle ruled by his addiction. To Alisa, it's almost as though he died, too. But then Kurt calls home one day. He has turned his life around. He's gotten through rehab, is working hard, and gone back to college. So when evidence links Kurt with the murder of a drug dealer, Alisa doesn't want to face it. Her son isn't the man he used to be. He's worked so hard, he deserves a second chance, and Alisa is determined to give it to him at any cost.

Cushman asks hard questions: Should a man be judged on his past deeds or on the road he's on? Is one life worth more than another? Is there ever any justification for deceit? As a mother, I could feel the pain and confusion Alisa was going through. In a desperate attempt to save her child, a mother might act in a way completely contrary to her character. Cushman examines not only Alisa's motivation, but also the aftermath of her decisions.

There are no easy answers in Leaving Yesterday. But there is hope. It's a compelling, hard-to-put-down story of one family's journey through grief and restoration.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing. I am not a paid reviewer. The opinions in this review are mine alone.