CFBA Presents WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS by Christa Allan

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducingWalking on Broken Glass
(Abingdon Press - February 2010)
by
Christa Allan


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christa Allan, a true Southern woman who knows any cook worth her gumbo always starts with a roux and who never wears white after Labor Day, weaves stories of unscripted grace with threads of hope, humor, and heart.

The mother of five and grandmother of three, Christa teaches high school English. She and her husband, Ken live in Abita Springs, Louisiana where they play golf, dodge hurricanes, and anticipate retirement.


ABOUT THE BOOK



Leah Thornton's life, like her Southern Living home, has great curb appeal. But already sloshed from one-too-many drinks at a faculty party, Leah cruises the supermarket aisles in search of something tasty to enhance her Starbucks—Kahlua and a paralyzing encounter with a can of frozen apple juice shatters the facade, forcing her to admit that all is not as it appears.

When her best friend Molly gets in Leah's face about her refusal to deal with her life, Leah is forced to make a decision. Can this brand-conscious socialite walk away from the country club into 28 days of rehab? Leah is sitting in the office of the local rehab center facing an admissions counselor who fails to understand the most basic things, like the fact that apple juice is not a suitable cocktail mixer.

Rehab is no picnic, and being forced to experience and deal with the reality of her life isn’t Leah’s idea of fun. Can she leave what she has now to gain back what she needs? Joy, sadness, pain and a new srength converge, testing her marriage, her friendships and her faith.

But through the battle she finds a reservoir of courage she never knew she had, and the loving arms of a God she never quite believed existed.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Walking on Broken Glass, go HERE


JEN'S THOUGHTS

Leah Thornton drinks to numb herself against a life that's too painful to feel. She doesn't acknowledge how serious her problem is until her best friend has the guts to confront her with it. Leah's husband, Carl, is living in an alternate reality of his own. He thinks she's overreacting when she says she's checking herself into rehab. But Leah's determined to follow through, and Carl reluctantly goes along with it.

If this sound like a heavy, mirthless book, it's not. Yes, it's a serious subject. And as Leah travels closer to sobriety and further from her alcohol induced fog, her emotions become raw and exposed. You're going to feel her pain. But you're also going to enjoy her sassy sense of humor, even as she's struggling with the creation of her new, addiction-free life. You may even laugh out loud.

Walking on Broken Glass is a stunning debut novel you won't want to miss. Author Christa Allan takes an honest look at life in rehab and the aftermath. Kudos to her for showing us not only the challenges of Leah, but of the family surrounding her. There is no easy ending in this story. In fact, it ends with a new question that's left unanswered. This is the only part of the book that bothered me, because I'm the type that likes experience how the story ends. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized it was probably the most realistic ending. Because life rarely ties up all the questions in a neat little bow. Here's hoping a sequel is in the works so we can journey a bit further with Leah and Carl.