REVIEW: A MEMORY BETWEEN US ~ SARAH SUNDIN

Ruth Doherty is the oldest of seven children.  Having lost both their parents, it falls to Ruth to provide for her family.  Serving as a nurse during World War II, Ruth spends no money on herself, and sends every penny home to provide for her brothers and sisters.  Working hard for every cent, Ruth has no time for friendship or dating.  When she meets Major Jack Novak in her ward, a cautious friendship soon develops, and drawn to this man of honour Ruth starts to reconsider her strict no dating rule – but Ruth carries a secret that makes it impossible.  A terrible truth and a carefully constructed shield around her heart prevents Ruth from ever giving her heart to any man – not even kind, handsome, persistent Jack Novak.

Major Jack Novak was raised to follow in his father’s footsteps, to be a pastor.  While he loves the Lord, Jack also falls in love with military life when he becomes a pilot during the World War II.  While facing the decision of staying in the military or going into the ministry, Jack’s reputation as an excellent pilot and leader grows, and confidence soon turns into arrogance and pride.  Starting to trust in himself and his own abilities instead of the Lord, Jack grows reckless and an injury lands him in the medical ward, where he loses his heart to Nurse Ruth Doherty – the only problem is, she refuses to date; him or anyone else.  Devising a plan to win her heart before she realises what he’s up to, Jack penetrates Ruth’s defences by agreeing to only be her friend – but when he learns Ruth’s secret, will his love remain true, or crumble like his image of Ruth’s perfection?

A Memory Between Us is my first read of author Sarah Sundin.  I quite enjoyed her take on World War II.  Her portrayal of military life and the jobs of nurses and pilots is very detailed and her story is very well plotted.  The dialogue is, at times, a little cutesy for my taste, but true to the times so that can easily  be overlooked.

At the core of it all, A Memory Between Us is a story about two broken people relying on their own strengths instead of God’s, and wondering why God feels so far away.  Ruth and Jack must both confront fears and let go of their pasts, and learn to rely on God’s strength instead of their own in order to move into the future.  Only then will they see that God has given them exactly what they need: each other.

This is a lovely spiritual read every Christian will enjoy.  Jack and Ruth are faced with issues many Christians can relate to, and it was an absolute joy to share this journey with them.

Product information:
Title: A memory between us

Author: Sarah Sundin

Number of pages: 448

Publisher: Revell, Reprint Edition

Year: 2010

ISBN-10: 080073422X

ISBN-13: 978-0800734220