Light from Distant Stars
by Shawn Smucker
When Cohen Marah steps over his father’s body in the basement embalming room of the family’s funeral home, he has no idea that he is stepping into a labyrinth of memory. As the last one to see his father, Cohen is the primary suspect.
Over the next week, Cohen’s childhood memories come back in living color. The dramatic events that led to his father being asked to leave his pastoral position. The game of baseball that somehow kept them together. And the two children in the forest who became his friends–and enlisted him in a dark and dangerous undertaking. As the lines blur between what was real and what was imaginary, Cohen is faced with the question he’s been avoiding: Did he kill his father?
In Light from Distant Stars, master story weaver Shawn Smucker relays a tale both eerie and enchanting, one that will have you questioning reality and reaching out for what is true, good, and genuine.
My Thoughts
As a book from a new-to-me-author that has been much talked-about and raved over, I knew I wanted to read it. But I wasn’t sure quite what to expect.
It is not a story that can be put into a box, and it just doesn’t quite fit my expectations of what I consider ‘normal Christian fiction’.
The story opens with Cohen discovering his dad’s body lying on the floor of his family’s funeral home.
The reader is taken back and forth between the present and Cohen’s past, as he relives childhood memories, especially ones involving his father, and their relationship (or lack thereof). Much of this book is about his thoughts–both as an adult and also as a young boy.
There are some dark elements included, and one is never quite sure what is truth and what is only perceived and imagined in the brain of Cohen.
This book deals with many of those hard issues that we all face. It will challenge your thinking and force you to look at life in a new way.
As I tried to think of what genre this book fits into, I’m just not quite sure what to say. It has a mystery element running through it, but mostly it is contemporary fiction. It also has dual time lines, and then there is almost a hint of fantasy….if you take the plunge and choose to read, you will need to reach your own conclusions.
Have you read this book? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
All-of-a-kind Mom 