On Shifting Sand

Book Review: On Shifting Sand

Author: Allison Pittman

Genre: Fiction/Historical/General

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Publication Date: April 1, 2015

Rating: 2 out of 5 (Below Average)

Pros: Message of love and forgiveness

Cons: Unlikable main character, slow plot, awkward point of view and verb tense

            Long before anyone would christen it "The Dust Bowl," Nola Merrill senses the destruction. She's been drying up bit by bit since the day her mother died, leaving her to be raised by a father who withholds his affection the way God keeps a grip on the Oklahoma rain. A hasty marriage to Russ, a young preacher, didn't bring the escape she desired. Now, twelve years later with two children to raise, new seeds of dissatisfaction take root. When Jim, a mysterious drifter and long-lost friend from her husband's past, takes refuge in their home, Nola slowly springs to life under his attentions until a single, reckless encounter brings her to commit the ultimate betrayal of her marriage. For months Nola withers in the wake of the sin she so desperately tries to bury. Guilt and shame consume her physically and spiritually, until an opportunity arises that will bring the family far from the drought and dust of Oklahoma. Or so she thinks. As the storms follow, she is consumed with the burden of her sin and confesses all, hoping to find Russ's love strong enough to stand the test.

            Nola Merrill is dissatisfied with her marriage, which is true to her character as she clearly has never been truly satisfied with anything in her life. Her life with her father was not what she wanted it to be, and her escape from him to her husband Russ did nothing to permanently ease her dissatisfaction. Because she is so selfish, it is hard to care about her. We can partially understand the reasoning behind her behavior, given her past, but Nola clearly uses that as an excuse for her sins. Although she loves Russ, she deeply desires the affection of others, and in this case that affection comes from her husband’s old friend Jim. From the moment of his arrival, we can see the conflict in Nola’s heart. Unfortunately, she is weak and the battle is always easily lost. When first she falls for him, she is dismayed by her sin, and we see apparent remorse. Her guilt is overpowering her, but only once she becomes sick and lands in the hospital does she make an attempt at a confession to Russ. He forgives her completely, although not knowing everything, and Nola is given a fresh start with Jim’s disappearance from her life. Russ’s new job at the hospital keeps him away for long periods of time, and creates in Nola the temptation when once again Jim shows up in Russ’s absence. Her early remorse is proven to have simply been guilt, as she gives in quickly and waits for him daily. Her attempt at consoling herself in her sin is to blame Russ for not being present in the home. Guilt overcomes her until she comes to the decision not to let Jim in the house the very day Russ returns home. His news of moving their family away from the dust brings her the hope of another fresh start away from Jim. When the storm follows them, she believes in her heart that the storms have followed her in her sin, and she confesses all to Russ.

            Nola is a selfish person, and it is difficult to care about her because of her sins, but mainly for the way she handled it. Her character is weak, and falls into sin easily because of her strong desire for attention. Besides being unlikable, she is boring and dull. The secondary characters are not very developed, and don’t get much attention in the novel. Russ is the only other character we see as a main part of the story. His love and faithfulness makes the reader love him even more when Nola sins against him. The point of view is in Nola’s perspective the entire novel, which made the novel tiring to read because of her dullness. She speaks in first person, but also in the present verb tense, which I did not like. Present tense made the book difficult to read because of the awkward flow it created, especially when Nola’s thoughts mixed between past and present.

            The plot was slow, and I felt a lot of little details were unnecessary. The plot is basically the dragged out story of an unfaithful woman continuing to have an affair after assumed remorse, and a husband who continues to love and forgive her, although we see how the hurt affects him in a way that can never be fixed. There is not much dialogue, which makes the story move even more slowly. Long scenes without dialogue were basically Nola thinking or describing minute details of her life. There are no twists in this book; the whole thing just moves forward without a lot of substance to a simple end. Although Russ is a preacher, not much spirituality is found in this book other than Nola feeling guilty and knowing she is wrong. We don’t see her talking to God or reading the Bible, and I got the impression that she was very detached from Russ’s spiritual world.

            I have read Allison Pittman only once before, and that novel was not my favorite, although I very much enjoyed the plot. When I saw On Shifting Sand, I was anxious to try her again to see if I would like her writing style better in this book. My expectations were not met, however, and found the plot and writing style to be a disappointment. I will not be buying this book.

I received a complimentary copy of On Shifting Sands from Tyndale through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The opinions stated are my own.