"Caroline has done something marvelous in her first book. Like a master weaver, she's intertwined the threads of our faith we desperately need to consider, but rarely do, such as the realities of darkness that lurk beneath our polished Christian veneers, and the interplay of suffering, sovereignty, grace, and transformation. in other words, Caroline invites us to move beyond the trite Sunday morning rituals and discover what God is really after, which is the creation of saints who know how to love and serve right in the midst of the messes that are our lives."

So reads the first page of Caroline Ferdinandsen’s first novel, The Forecast, available this month from Conversant Media Group. Usually, when any form of media starts out with this type of disclaimer, I am immediately biased against it. Many people who call themselves evangelical Christians are falling all over themselves these days to deny that they are religious.

This book dares to jump the boundaries of Christian novels and take the covers off of some sacred cows in Christendom. This writer has the knack of stepping on toes without breaking them and exposing hypocrisy wherever she finds it. It’s is a “page turner” that cut short my sleep quantity on my final night of reading to the finish. I had to shove aside my own writing and other work from the time I started the book—the world may as well stop turning when I get into a good book like this. I inhale books, and I had to inhale it whole to the very last
page.

For a culture that prizes honesty above all other virtues, Caroline Ferdinandsen, with earthy honesty, chips away at the glamorous facade that surrounds marital infidelity. As the story unfolds, sin collides with mercy, and truth penetrates the deep recesses of the
spirit. This book invokes a new awareness of our behavior's consequences, as well as a deeper understanding of redemption, forgiveness, love and hope."

Throughout the day I took breaks from my chores, and returned to read another chapter of this book. Ferdinandsen is a gifted writer. It was clear in the imagery her words provided. Her words were thought-provoking, laced in truth, conflict, tragedy, hope, restoration. Most people carry the guilt of unrepented sins deep within their souls -
for those who seek forgiveness and restitution, that guilt is replaced with a scar that that few people ever know. What I like about the book - is that it doesn't read 'preachy' or overtly spiritual.