Wild in the Hollow

I recently received a copy of Wild in the Hollow by Amber Haines and even though I had quite a few books on the stack– I sat down with an iced coffee and flipped through the first few pages that afternoon.

The poetic style and dead-level honesty of Amber’s writing caused me to devour this book in just a few afternoons. Normally with a nonfiction book, I take a lot longer to digest everything– but this book has so much story that it reads like fiction. It is said to be, “A story of the God who makes Himself known in the broken places.” And it really is.

The subtitle was really one which drew me in, Wild in the Hollow: On Chasing Desire & Finding the Broken Way Home.

Amber poetically weaves her story, one of being found by God and relentlessly pursued by her Creator.  My own story could not be more dissimilar from Amber’s and yet I found myself nodding along with her as she shines a light in the dark corners of the heart. From someone who grew up in the church, I wish that even more stories of rescue and redemption would grace the bookshelves of our local LifeWay. We are all so in need of saving, so desperate without hope except that from the One who knows us intimately. I needed that reminder and this honest, courageous book gave it to me in a beautiful package.

Amber’s story twists through many jarringly hard turns, several of which sadly lead right through the local church. Even as Amber recounts standing broken in the midst of a room full of “just fine” — she somehow manages to relay this all without a hint of bitterness or cynicism. That is extremely rare. Her healing is evident and inspiring. And for those of you who hope to read this book, I won’t give away the ending but the full-circle that brings her home is just about the best ending this book could have. If you have lived your whole life in church never straying, read this book. If your story winds in and out of community and long periods of feeling 100% alone, read this book. If you hate the way you feel towards the church and the people of God and secretly wish you felt differently, read this book. If you are a minister who finds yourself struggling with how to engage everyone on the fringe— you guessed it. Read this book and pray for open eyes.

I received a copy of Wild in the Hollow from the Revell Books in exchange for my honest opinion. As always, you know you get that here. Thank you for coming today, friends. I am so glad you stopped by.

****GUESS WHAT? You can pick up your own hardback copy of Wild in the Hollow HERE for only $8 and a some change. 

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