"Perfect Peace"

Why I picked up the book:  The cover caught my eye as it sat on a colleague's desk.  After seeing it remain unmoved for several weeks, I asked if I could read it.  It's a different sort of novel then what I usually read but the insert seemed to promise enough to possibly keep my interest piqued.

Why it kept me interested:  Daniel Black does a magnificent job of capturing a small and very rural southern town's 1930's feel.  The story centers around the lives of the Peace family and the fateful decision made by Emma Jean to raise their seventh son as a girl named Perfect.  No one remains the wiser until young sibling Bartimaeus stumbles upon Emma Jean's secret.  When the secret can remain one no longer, Emma Jean confesses and every member of the Peace family is forced to reexamine their lives and what they believed.  Its a great story about resentment, freedom, and eventual forgiveness.  I loved this story for it's forceful wander into a situation I never pondered.  Its a deep sadness that fills this book but there is also a sweetness that I loved.  I still found myself sympathetic towards Emma Jean even though it was her decisions that cleaved the hearts of the Peace family.

To whom would I recommend this book:  There is spiritual depth to this book that would be great for book discussions.  I was also really surprised at the emotional maturity of many of the characters so it would present a good character study.  For more leisurely readers, "Perfect Peace" is riddled with strife but the characters' determination to overcome and be true to who they were was encouraging.  Just be warned, the ending is a sober one.