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The Merciful Scar (2013)

by Rebecca St. James(Favorite Author)

4.07 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1401689221 (ISBN13: 9781401689223)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction

publisher

Thomas Nelson Publishers

review 1: This is a very serious book about very sad issues. The main character is Kirsten, a girl who uses Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) to vent her pain and anger about life. When Kirsten is taken to the hospital on account of an accident during a fight between her and her boyfriend, a woman named Frankie offers for Kirsten to come live on her ranch. Since Kirsten has nowhere else to go, she accepts. I think the point of the book is to show how the love of God and people who care about you is able to heal any scars you might have. The best part is how the book depicts Kirsten slowly learning to trust others and then God, and the relief and rest she finds in that. Everybody has guilt. Everybody has things they wish hadn't happened. And we are afraid to talk about it, sometimes we... more won't even admit it to ourselves. The characters in this book are just like everyone else, they have problems and difficult lives and they have hidden their feelings from everyone else. The book does an amazing job of showing how freeing it can be when you just surrender everything to Christ. Kirsten and many others find forgiveness in Him and it drastically changes their lives. However it takes a long time to dig down to the struggles they have been suppressing for so long. It is painful and dirty and confusing and it's not easy. But in the end they are truly healed by God and he shows them how beautiful life can be, even in horrible circumstances. Overall I thought "The Merciful Scar" was a good portrayal of what a huge difference God's forgiveness can make in anyone's life.
review 2: The Merciful Scar by Rebecca St. James and Nancy Rue is what some would call New Adult Fiction (the target audience is 18-24 year olds and the subject matter is adult in nature). However, my church book club, Page Turners, chose it for our April discussion based upon a radio interview of Rebecca St. James that one of our members heard. And though our youngest member is almost 20 years above the target audience and the rest of us are considerably more senior than that, we thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Well-written, with complex characters and situations, it definitely opened our eyes to the realities of cutting.Kirsten is a graduate student with a secret. Her well-covered body does not disclose the cutting she has been doing for years. The physical scars may be hidden, but it is the emotional ones that come out when she has an accident during a cutting episode. Involuntarily admitted to the hospital for a supposed suicide attempt, Kirsten is desperate to get out and to get on with the rest of her life. The only way out is to agree to a 30-day treatment with a former Anglican nun as counselor/spiritual advisor. The ranch and its way of life seem alien to Kirsten, but soon its rhythms and the ways of God become part of her.Though Kirsten is a self-injurer (cutter), other characters face deep emotional trauma. Guilt and forgiveness are major themes in the novel. Most of our members found the first part of the book hard to get into, but when Kirsten arrives at the ranch, the story really took off and took hold. We found the metaphors of the sheep and shepherd touching and insightful. The characters were easy to connect with and we cared about what was going on in their lives. And there were a few scenes that brought tears. It also brought from us a deep discussion of past experiences and the hope that God can give to His people. Moving and thought-provoking, The Merciful Scar is one we heartily recommend.Highly Recommended.Great for Book Clubs (especially young women) less

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