“My Father’s House” by Rose Chandler Johnson

Growing up, life is idyllic for Lily Rose Cates due to one constant — her father’s love.

But in her sixteenth summer, all that changes without warning. There begins Lily’s struggle to find herself and the life she’s lost. . . . Marriage promises fulfillment, but her happily-ever-after barely survives the honeymoon. Her husband’s sophisticated façade hides a brooding man with even darker secrets.

When all illusions shatter, Lily must make hard choices — abandon her husband or risk losing much more than her marriage. She flees their home in Detroit and sets out on a fearful journey to a house in Georgia that her husband knows nothing about. This is one woman’s compelling tale of love and survival as she finds her way back home to who she’s meant to be . . . in her father’s house.

Lily struggles to face the world after her father’s death, but there’s something compelling about her journey that makes My Father’s House fascinating.  Characters make or break a story for me, and I have little patience for them when they seem to be continually making poor choices, as Lily often seemed to do in the beginning of the book; but Lily charmed me such that I turned page after page, reading quickly, intent on finding out her fate.

There’s something likeable about Lily.  Part of it is her inherent kindness and innocence, I think, but I also admire the way that she works hard and is a good friend.  Family is important to her and she listens to the lessons they teach her, although it doesn’t always ‘stick’ at first.

Johnson’s writing style is clear and concise but pulls you write into the story.  It flows a bit differently than most books popular now, but it’s clear that the plot is well-planned and the author brilliant.  Johnson penned Lily’s story almost like a memoir, and it has a different feel than your typical off-the-shelf fiction story.  The pace is a bit slower, and it’s set back in time just a little, but it has a this-is-important kind of feel to it.  The focus is clearly on people and relationships, not material things, and that theme comes through well.

I enjoyed the lessons that Lily learns throughout the story, as well.  Lessons like the importance of patience, of doing things right, of listening to elders and making relationships a high priority.  Lily’s story was never preachy but felt as if you were sitting on Grandma’s front porch, learning from the best.

My Father’s House is Johnson’s debut novel, but I hope she keeps writing. 

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Rose Chandler Johnson is the author of the award winning devotional God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments. My Father’s House is her first novel. She happily makes her home near Augusta, Georgia.