When Crickets Cry Author:  Charles Martin

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Sometimes we need to hide from the world, and sometimes we can fool ourselves that we are indeed hiding from God.  God, however, knows where we are and what we are hiding from.  Sometimes He lets us stay hidden, and sometimes He decides that we have had enough sulking and He throws obstacles at us to make us crawl out of our hiding place. 

In a small Georgia town, a man known as Reese has become content with his life, hiding away from the rest of the world.  His life is about to be complicated by the presence of a girl named Annie.  She has a problem of her own.  Reese notices that she has a scar that a collar cannot hide, the type of scar that he is familiar with.  He knows that this is a girl who is fighting for her life.  Has Reese found a reason and the courage to come out of hiding?  Or will Annie cause him to run in another direction and find a new place to hide?

Charles Martin has written a wonderful tale of healing.  He takes you to a beautiful southern town where everyone knows everyone else, and reminds us that no matter how hard we try to hide from our past, it will catch up to us eventually.  When Crickets Cry is an endearing account of one man’s experience and how it affects those around him while he in turn is faced with a choice.  We learn from our experiences, and use that information to form the decisions we make.  Do we accept the past and our mistakes and press on with the living or do we wallow in the despair of our mistakes and remain indifferent?  The choice is ours to make.

his is the first book by Charles Martin that I have read, and I really enjoyed this story.  This is truly a must read.  I will issue a word of warning: for those who tend to be a bit emotional while reading, you may want to keep a box of tissues handy.  It is easy to become engrossed in the lives of these characters as they are genuine.  I am reminded that God has a purpose for our lives as long as we open our hearts to his calling.  I look forward to reading the other novels by Charles Martin.

 

Review contributed by: Melissa Kammer