Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston

~Saturday Stories~

Typical Emily: I could feel the thump of the engine reverberating a deep, low drone against my chest. I bit my lower lip, squelching the urge to run over to the garage and help him fix that tick. My interest and specialty had always been Chevrolets, an affection I’d inherited from my dad. But rebuilding a Dodge would be a fun challenge. One I could use right now.

Last year Emily's mom died from cancer. Her dad's business couldn't keep up with the medical debts, so now the two of them have to stay at her aunt's and uncle's. One word: humiliating. Emily can hardly wait until her dad finds work so they can get a place of their own. Where is God when she needs Him?

Roadside Assistance is a story of a girl with doubt. Had God forgotten her? Why was she not feeling Him? Why did her attempts at prayer never work? But it's also a story about learning to open up to the ways God can show His unfailing love.

I think, though, that some changes to the "technique" of writing would have been great. For example, having Emily have a clear goal and adding a worse protagonist who wants to mess it all up. To my taste, the beginning through the middle of the book could use some more drama, but it gets better at the end. This book is the first in a trilogy, in which it is followed by Destination Unknown and Miles from Nowhere.

Overall, the message of His care is great, but the writing could use some improvement, I think.

For more on Amy Clipston, visit her website and Facebook page.