Sometimes going home means leaving everything you have ever known. When the doctor pronounces “incurable cancer” and gives Bobbie Blake one year to live, she agrees to accompany her niece, Tracie, on a trip back to Austria, back to The Oasis, a ministry center for refugees that Bobbie helped start twenty years earlier. Back to where there are so many memories of love and loss. Bobbie and Tracie are moved by the plight of the refugees and in particular, the story of the Iranian Hamid, whose young daughter was caught with a New Testament in her possession back in Iran, causing Hamid to flee along the refugee Highway and putting the whole family in danger. Can a network of helpers bring the family to safety in time? And at what cost? Filled with action, danger, heartache and romance, The Long Highway Home is a hymn to freedom in life’s darkest moments.
ELIZABETH MUSSER writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France. Elizabeth’s highly acclaimed, best-selling novel, The Swan House, was named one of Amazon’s Top Christian Books of the Year and one of Georgia’s Top Ten Novels of the Past 100 Years (Georgia Backroads, 2009). All of Elizabeth’s novels have been translated into multiple languages.
For over twenty-five years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions’ work in Europe with International Teams. The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren who all live way too far away in America. Find more about Elizabeth’s novels at http://www.elizabethmusser.com and on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
My Impressions:
Elizabeth Musser has long been a favorite with my book club. We began our journey with her in The Swan House and have since read many of her novels. With her being an Atlanta native and setting many of her books there, we have enjoyed a couple of field trips as well, visiting places she mentions in her books. When I heard she had a new book out, I had to include it as a surprise selection. The Long Highway Home was an excellent choice for our group, and I believe will be for yours as well. We love, love, loved it!
The Long Highway Home is a very complex novel involving multiple characters and story lines. But it is not a difficult book to read. Once you get into the flow of the shifting points of view, the stories take off and you find yourself immersed in the characters’ journeys. Each has a unique viewpoint and story that adds depth and insight. And I loved how all the threads intersected with each other in miraculous, yet very believable ways. In fact, Musser has a sentence that describes that (and real life) well — But every now and then the Lord pulls back a curtain-slice of sky and we get to see the bringing together of all the plot lines in real time!
The subject matter is refugees, specifically Muslim refugees making their way to Europe. The time is 2005, and the majority of the refugees are men. We felt the issue was handled with truth and grace. The hardships they faced — from the distrust and animosity of locals to the suspicions and threats from fellow refugees — were not sugar-coated, but handled in an honest manner. The Oasis, the refugee mission in the book, is a real place and the Mussers work with those who lead the ministry there. Her passion is obvious throughout the book.
The power of the gospel to transform lives is beautifully illustrated in The Long Highway Home, as is the means God uses to draw people to Himself. Although it is a work of fiction, many of the ministries and people were drawn from real life, giving it a greater authenticity. Because of this, the novel is perfect for book clubs or missions groups.
Beautifully written, authentic characters, a meaningful message — The Long Highway Home has it all. It is also a suspenseful read with a dash of romance that you will not want to put down. It gets a highly recommended rating from my group.
Highly Recommended.
Audience: adults.
Great for book clubs.
To purchase, click HERE.
(Thanks to the author for complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
i really really loved this book too!
I felt my words were very inadequate to describe how much this book spoke to my heart. It is wonderful.
i agree – it’s one of those tough reviews to write because there are so many emotions to go along with it