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Small As A Mustard Seed (2000)

by Shelli Johnson(Favorite Author)

4.24 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

review 1: Charting a journey through adolescence in Stanhope, Ohio, from 1965 to 1973 and beyond, this is a moving tale about the brutality and disintegration of the human condition and having the courage and faith to survive it.Anne-Marie and her sister, Jolene, are constantly terrified of their father, Frank, a war veteran with schizophrenia who suffers from flashbacks and paranoia induced by his time serving in Korea. The two girls escape into their imagination as they deal with parental abuse when mistaken as ghosts from their traumatised father’s past. With their mother, Adele, unable to choose between her husband and the safety of her daughters all the girls have is each other and their faith to help them survive the horrors of the cellar and their father and his worsening c... moreondition.Beautifully written, this is a powerful story about the effects of war on family. Johnson delves into the strengths and weaknesses of the human condition and pulls no punches in her harrowing prose. Ultimately, this is a story about strength and faith and holding onto the hope that a better tomorrow awaits us all.A brave and stunning debut by Shelli Johnson, a sensory overload, written with great courage and skill as its beautiful prose leads you by the hand through the harsh reality of a family doing the best it can to survive the impact of a broken mind.
review 2: Small as a Mustard Seed was like stepping into someone's life. The characters are gut-wrenchingly honest and so well written, you feel their pain, their struggle and their relief as they grow. As you watch the story unfold through the eyes of the older sister, you wonder what the others in the family are experiencing at first. However, as the story goes on, you realize that one perspective is enough because she is so observant and raw about what she sees and hears in her world. While the book is set during post-Korea and the Vietnam era, Shelli Johnson's short emotionally packed book keeps us focused on the people so well that it could be happening at any time. These characters could be your neighbors, friends or family, you feel so close to what is happening in their lives and want to reach out to them. Despite their flaws (which make them so real) Shelli portrays each of them with great care and respect while painting a perfect portrait of living with PTSD. This is a definite must read!! less

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