Stepping Into Sunlight [Kindle Edition]

Sharon Hinck (Author)

Book Description

After Penny Sullivan witnesses a shocking crime, her world tips sideways. Suddenly things like getting groceries, mowing the grass, and returning phone calls are more than she can handle. But with her husband away at sea and her seven-year-old son depending on her, hiding in the closet isn't an option. Hoping to recover by the time her husband gets home, she picke up her trusty yellow notebook and formulates a restoration plan: Do one kind thing for another person every day. The results are sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, and often brilliantly surprising...



"It's official--if the book says Sharon Hinck on the spine, I'm buying it!"--Kathryn Mackel, bestselling author

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hinck, a 2008 Christy finalist for visionary fiction, offers an especially grounded tale of sudden trauma and slow healing. Narrator Penny Sullivan witnesses a horrific crime shortly before her navy chaplain husband is deployed, so she is forced to cope alone with the psychological fallout from what she saw. Family issues from her past complicate her struggle and enhance its credibility. Strong Christian themes form a natural part of the narrative. Penny Sullivan's faith is shaken, and she wonders why God would appear to permit evil and whether her emotional turmoil can be healed. A supporting cast of characters, from a nosy neighbor to the busy faithful servant to the downtrodden who heads a local mission, adds quirk and richness. Hinck is a mother of four, and it shows in authentic details in her characterization of the narrator's worried, loving seven-year-old son who gets his first pet in some cute comic relief. Hinck has done her homework on post-traumatic stress syndrome, and is not afraid to show readers that challenges can deepen faith. (Oct.)
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Review

"Hinck, a 2008 Christy finalist for visionary fiction, offers an especially grounded tale of sudden trauma and slow healing." --Publishers Weekly Oct. 2008

"Hinck takes us on a journey through depression and back, but manages to show readers hope throughout." -- Romantic Times Book Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1948 KB
• Print Length: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002YT8MEQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #402,252 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Giving voice to the broken and hope for us all September 16, 2008

By Amy Wallace

Format:Paperback

After turning the last page of Stepping Into Sunlight, my heart was full, and I was reminded again that God does indeed use broken people to pour forth His grace.

Sharon Hinck gives voice to the broken and shows how beautiful we are in God's eyes. Penny Sullivan's journey of healing is real and poignant and a clarion call to those of us who have and haven't experienced mental illness. To those who intimately know Penny's journey, Sharon offers hope and lights a path of healing. To those who may not understand Penny or family and friends like her, Stepping Into Sunlight offers an inside look that I pray ignites compassion and care toward the hurting.

Stepping Into Sunlight is not a manual for mental health, it's a beautiful story of one woman's journey that impacts all those around her in everyday amazing ways. It's a story to savor and ponder for weeks and months to come.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stepping into Sunlight September 25, 2008

By Robin

Format:Paperback

This book had me hooked from the first sentence. As someone who suffers from PTSD and panic attacks brought on by it, I could relate to the character of Penny in a way that I have never related to any fictional character before. I thought this book was beautifully written by someone who can truly understand what a person suffering with these afflictions goes through. Sharon Hinck truly has a gift for storytelling and this is my favorite book by her so far. The book was able to articulate things that I have experienced but have been unable to share. I had my husband read passages of it so that he could get an understanding of what I battle. It is a tale of hope for those of us who suffer and one a great insight for those who may not but either way, it is a beautiful story!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching and Encouraging September 5, 2008

By Cindy Thomson

Format:Paperback

Author Sharon Hinck has penned a novel that will touch the hearts of everyone who reads it. Penny, the character who is struggling after witnessing a violent crime and trying to be strong for her husband who is deployed and her son who needs her, is not a super mom. She's just trying to hold life together. Sharon shows the real world of post traumatic stress syndrome and the slow healing. No sugar coating. But there is hope, and Penny finds it, by showing kindness to others, and by finally facing her own demons. Beautifully written. Highly recommended.

It took me only a few days to read this book. I was rooting for Penny and had to see her through her journey. A book I literally could not put down.

Cindy Thomson, author of Brigid of Ireland
Brigid of Ireland: A Historical Novel

More About the Author

I have a heart for women who feel overwhelmed by their roles. The characters in my books use humor and imagination to cope with pressures and challenges of various kinds, and find that often the worst pressure comes from their own anxiety, perfectionism, comparisons, and skewed focus on life.

I believe that life is a grand adventure, and even the small choices we make each day can be heroic.

When the minutia of modern life wears me down, I write to remind myself of the bigger picture: We have an amazing God who made us, loves us, and invites us to be part of His story. And He is an expert at taking ordinary people and empowering them to make a difference by sharing His grace with others.

So whether I'm playing Cranium with my kids, scrubbing the kitchen floor, hiking in the Minnesota woods with my husband, or driving to my small-group Bible study, I'm often noticing bits of life to weave into my books, and listening for God's still, small voice.

I've been a church youth worker, a musician, a classical ballet teacher and choreographer. I've been on short-term missions trips, and done a few years of home-schooling. I've acted, danced, composed. I've managed a direct sales business, teaching artistic rubber-stamping. And I've written for anthologies and magazines as well as my novels. Clearly, I haven't yet decided what I'm supposed to be when I grow up--but I'm enjoying the exploration. :-)