**Spoiler Alert**
Review of This Side of Heaven, by Karen Kingsbury
This Side of Heaven is not a recent release. First published in 2009, many of you have no doubt read it. I just now encountered it. I usually read and listen to several books a week, but this one is special enough that I am posting a review.
It shocked me when Karen Kingsbury killed her protagonist midway through the book. It takes literary audacity to create an endearing character only to put him to death with the balance of the book looming. Such a move pressures the author to keep the reader interested long enough to complete the character arcs of less likeable figures.
At first I wondered if it was a ploy to lead me to believe this main character was dead, only to find out later he’s miraculously alive. That’s the cheap way out, like a prankster pointing to the ground to divert your eyes, then flicking at your nose. I don’t appreciate cheap writing tricks.
Kingsbury doesn’t resort to writing pranks. She skillfully leads the reader to a satisfying conclusion. After the book ends, she explains why she wrote this story. It’s loosely based on the life of her brother, Dave. Some of the story’s components are fictitious, but the real story shines through as heartbreaking and redeeming and aching to be told.
I hope I haven’t spoiled the plot too much for those of you just discovering this gem of a book by a seasoned author. Available at Amazon.
@KarenKingsbury
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