Customer Reviews

Desert Fire: A Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A journalist, Julia Keegan, was sent to Darfur to find out what's going on so she could write about the violence and genocide going on in all the villages.

While she was there, a young attorney named Joel Marteens, shows up with information about her father who died in prison while serving a long sentence.
Julia didn't want to hear about her father because she never knew him, she was
very bitter about it and could not forgive him.

At the end she learned how to forgive because of close friends she met while on assignment in Danfur and finally found peace.

This book would be a great gift for everyone on your list because it has something
that everyone can relate to. It's truly a wonderful read.

Lorraine

Journalist, Julia Douglas, spent her life believing her father was a monster. She spent her childhood moving from town to town trying to escape the murder he committed. Her life and career were molded by his crime and her anger towards him always burned. Her past has led her to strive to notify readers of injustices, and it is this drive that brought her to Darfur, in order highlight the atrocities funded and carried out by its government. While in Sudan, she encounters Joel Maartens, her father's lawyer. Joel traveled from Canada in order to deliver a letter from her now deceased father. Not wanting to reconnect with that portion of her past, Julia struggles to accept a new, conflicting view of her father. In this most unlikely setting, a country torn by violence and government backed genocide, Julia begins to better understand her past as well as heal from years of bitterness and anger.

There are certain books that I begin feeling pretty certain I'll know the basic story line. I choose to read them because there's usually something about the premise that pulls at me. For Desert Fire, the attraction came from the setting. I've read the horror stories on the news concerning the atrocities taking place in Darfur. The stories are often graphic, depicting rape and mutilation that is hard to comprehend. So a story that took a peek into this world was one well worth trying.

As expected, the story line was predictable. There were no surprises. Most of the imaginary plot was very typical for Christian fiction with a salvation message. Since Desert Fire featured two lost souls, Julia and Joel, we get a double dose of witnessing and prayer. I'm a fan of more subtle messages in fiction, but I was expecting this type of presentation before I started reading and was therefore not disappointed at the amount included in the story.

The book's high point was in presenting information about the situation in Darfur. Complete with two pages of actual drawings from children in Darfur, there is a sense for the violence that permeates their world. I do wish this part was bit more graphic. This was the heart of the story and while we get a feel for life in Sudan, there isn't that ache that should be present after reading this type of book. I wanted to cry for the families in this horrible situation and feel moved as I do when reading individual accounts from other sources, but that never happened. Maybe it was sanitized in an effort to cater to more sensitive readers, but this was one book that needed to be graphic. What is happening in Darfur needed to be spelled out with brutal honesty that Christians should be able to handle. Ignorance is not bliss in this instance, it's an enemy.

The fictional part of the story was alright, but as previously stated there were no surprises. I did appreciate how Van Roekel managed to subtly make Julia's father a supporting character. While his only living appearance is very brief, he's in the shadows throughout the book. It was a nice touch that brought insight into how those around us shape us, for better or worse.

Though the fiction was typical, I still highly recommend Desert Fire, especially for anyone not familiar with the events happening in Darfur. This book is not a light read, but given the subject matter, it is not overwhelming either. I appreciate Van Roekel writing this story and for the attention she gives to a portion of the world that truly needs it. Hopefully her story will encourage Christians to pray for and assist those who are living and dying of starvation, disease, and genocide in Sudan.

Not a bad book, per se, the plot and premise is good but it is a little too stilted and the scope a little narrow.

When you open this book it hits you "Wham!" because it's deep right off; there is no hold bars on what's going on and the situation that is present here. Shannon's descriptions as well just really had the imagery flowing through my mind. I loved knowing some of the Canadian cities she mentioned in this book. It's not very often that happens, so I really enjoyed that! She caught my attention alright! My heart cried out with the prayers of this book and I truly believe this is an eye opener to the mission field whether it is fiction or not.

The characters in the book are interesting. Julia Keegan, the main character has a longing that I think most of us can relate to; getting over our past and being free from it. Her search and the search of other characters to understand God's sovereignty through the book are compelling and make the book interesting... you long to see them know the truth. Not to mention the corruption and turmoil in this book had me in deep thought!

Shannon does an amazing job at explaining where God is in the midst of the crisis of our world. In fact, I dare say one of the best I've ever read as far explaining how much God loves us through creation.

I'll be looking out for Shannon Van Roekel books in the future!

***Special thanks to Cat Hoort of Kregel Publications for sending me a review copy.***

This book combined with the episodes of ER, I recently saw, just sort of shocked me at how awful it really is over there. This book is an incredible work of art! Julia- a young reporter is assigned to a IDP camp in Darfur. She meets a missionary couple working there, a midwife and nurse, who are giving their time and lives for these people. Intent on exposing the real evil about the people responsible for the genocide, they go "undercover" in burqa's to record and tape an interview with a leader of the responsible group. The result is kidnapping and murder, but in the midst of it, Julia is called to wonder how the Christians can trust God when everything is so horrible. She is trying to deal with her past, a father in prison, writing from the grave, a mother who is loser...drifting from man to man, and yet it all seems so small when she is facing children who have lost limbs, parents, entire families.
This book will challenge you to look beyond yourself, to wonder if there is more you should be doing for the world out there. This is for sure more than just a novel!!!

Shannon is a gifted writer and I really got drawn into the characters in this book. I found it powerful reading that touched raw nerves and resurrected emotions I'd put on the bench; I know from talking with Shannon about her next book project, that much of what she writes is based upon things that she has seen and experienced for herself, firsthand. That's why this story reads with such authenticity, which I found truly refreshing. While this is a faith-based, factual, fiction book that clearly and unashamedly lays out the truth in Darfur, in addition to some basic truths about Jesus Christ and what it means to follow him, it also communicates a great story that needs to be told, heard and acted upon. It is cross-cultural and cuts across different religious beliefs in a way that is real and non-judgemental at the same time and accurately represents much of what we find in the world today. It's relevant and "good stuff" for followers of Christ, seekers and those who don't believe, or don't know what they believe, about God. Not preachy, it tells a moving and fast-paced story, full of unexpected twists and turn, about the terrible suffering and oppression going on today in Darfur; which leads the reader through a compelling immersion in the " behind closed doors", unspeakable terror that happens there daily -- causing the enlightened among us to look inside ourselves, ponder our own easy and overindulged lives and ask, "What can I do to help here, or elsewhere?" Then, Shannon lays out in her Author's Note, specific, realistic and meaningful ways that each of us can do something to help the people of Darfur. Excellent and well worth the read -- can't wait to read the next book that takes Julia and Joel to another place that will test her in many new ways. Stay tuned to find out where this is. Bravo, Shannon and good luck on the coming book.

The setting of Desert Fire by Shannon Van Roekel is what really drew me to this book. Darfur and the violence in that region is more than any of us can understand. We go about our busy lives and ignore what's happening in other lands. Or we read about it and are horrified but do nothing. This book really makes us feel the horror, and hopefully, can do something (even a small part) to help remedy the situation.
The plot of the story is similar to many others but the setting of Darfur is what sets it apart from other books I've read. A journalist is sent to Darfur to write about the atrocities and the women's situation there. Julia has her own battle facing her history and finding her way in life. So the reader gets caught up in her story as the actual tragic story is laid out.
I feel the description of the horrors of Darfur was explained well so that the reader can really get the picture of the tragedies there. It's very informative. The storyline is a bit weak and predictable with Christianity working its way into the doubters' lives. That part is well done but also predictable.
The book is definitely a fast read because it's hard to put down. Other than the fact that I felt the storyline was a bit weak, I feel this is an excellent book.

If you're like me, you've averted your gaze from anything that would distract you from your daily preoccupations with being comfortable and successful. I find it easy to look the other way when a homeless person comes into view or immediately think of something else when the pastor preaches on generosity or personal sacrifice. Well, I started reading Desert Fire (bought the book for my daughter and niece - thanks, Shannon, for autographing them!), expecting to be able to set it aside after a while and move on to other things. It's now way past midnight, and I just finished the book. And I have to get up for work later this morning.

Shannon kept me from averting my gaze from the suffering that has been going on in another part of the world because the she lets us see through the eyes of two characters, Julia and Joel, who spent their lives looking the other way and being only tangentially involved in meeting this world's true needs. It was easy to identify with these characters that don't see beyond the limits of their five senses. Shannon then gradually introduces readers to the larger context, that there's a God behind it all who desires to use us as instruments for relieving suffering. Desert Fire is therefore a call to action clothed in a story well told. Great job, Shannon!

The most popular Christian fiction in America today concerns stories about Amish people. Desert Fire is definitely not set in an Amish community. But it is about a group of people who, like the Amish, live simple lives without many modern conveniences. Desert Fire tells the story a people who want to live, work and raise their families in peace. Unfortunately the people of Darfur reside in Sudan, a country where their government is paying mercenaries, the Janjaweed, to eliminate them. The same government gives license to the Janjaweed to rape women and children, murder entire families and destroy villages making the area inhabitable. In Desert Fire, Julia is sent to Sudan as a magazine correspondent to write about the plight of the victims of genocide in Darfur. Woven through the book is the story of Julia's own broken relationship with her father and his attempt to seek her forgiveness. Desert Fire is a story of love, friendship, romance and a forgiveness that can only come from God, while it challenges us to be moved with compassion for Darfur. Grab this book, a cup of tea and find a comfortable chair and travel to Sudan with Julia, let your eyes be opened and your heart be touched.