New Creations by Sarah Hanks Review

 

New Creations was a wonderful, touching story. Different than the previous books I have read by the author, but just as good. 

I loved that this book was based on true events and was in honor of her grandfather, or Papa. 

Like the other books I have read of hers, there are multiple timelines. This time there are three timelines. Young Floyd's story takes place in the years ranging from 1954 to 1970, though the majority of that time line takes place in the 1960s. Then there is the 1990s time line, which is where we see Floyd's granddaughter Emira as a child. Emira is based on the author's life. And then there is the timeline from 2010 when Floyd is an older man and Emira is an adult. 

Elderly Floyd is retiring and despairs that his life has not been what he set out for it to be. He feels like he hasn't done anything important in life as all he ended up doing was running a barber shop. So, he makes an impulsive decision to sign up for a mission trip, a mission trip that he may not get to go on because of all the obstacles that keep popping up. However, as we read the past timelines, we see all that Floyd has accomplished, all the lives he has impacted. 

I love the way the author intertwines the stories. We'll see Floyd dealing with things in 2010, yet then we see things that happened when he was a young man, and then see those events being referrenced in one of the later timelines. 

I felt for Floyd as I watched him struggle in each timeline, trying to find the path that God wanted him to be on, trying to do his best, yet seeming to fail or always make mistakes. 

So many emotions were stirred in this story. I found myself laughing a lot, but there were also times I found myself in tears. I cared for these character and loved reading this story. 

Here's one of the quotes that stuck with me, "Floyd shook his head. He hadn't done anything noteworthy. God had radically intercepted his life. Changed its trajectory. All he did was bask in the love God had lavishyed on him and point other people in that direction. It hadn't been hard. It was an overflow of what God had done in his heart."

Definitely a book I recommend. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team, and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.