Second in "The Amish of Summer Grove" series, Fraying at the Edge delves deeply into complex issues of living faith on both sides of the line that separates believers from unbelievers.
Picking up right where Ties That Bind ended, Ariana Brenneman has agreed to live with her biological Englischer parents for one year so that the midwife who mistakenly switched her and the Brenneman's daughter at birth will not be prosecuted. Her father, a vehement atheist, seeks to broaden her worldview by insisting she experience situations that her Amish world would refuse; his hope appears to be that she will "come to her senses" and realize faith is silly and unappealing. Her mother, with whom she lives during this time, has remarried; she also gets to know her sister, who likewise does not understand Ariana's faith. Ariana tests out new ideas and activities and filters them through the Word and ways that she loves and to which she yearns to return. She also filters them through Quill Schlabach, her longtime friend now living in the Englisch world...but this is complicated by her feelings about what she perceives as his abandonment of her at a critical time in her life.
Meanwhile, Skylar Nash, the Brenneman's biological daughter, has to fulfill her part of this agreement: she is to live with them for one year in order to avoid going to rehab for her prescription drug problem. Angry and rebellious against what she feels are ridiculous Amish ways, she attempts to continue running her wayward life without the family realizing she is still using drugs. When her life crashes, she learns that her Amish family really do love her...because Jesus really does love her.
What I liked best about this book was its honest look at the deep issues of faith. Do we believe because it's something we've always been told, or is our faith real enough to transcend the allures of the world? Can we be in the world and yet not be of it? Can we truly love those whose beliefs are different--even hurtful and destructive? The book doesn't end with easy answers; Ariana is unsettled when she returns to Summer Grove. I am looking forward to seeing how she processes these issues of faith in the next book.
I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers free of charge in exchange for a fair review.
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