Walking On Broken Glass [Paperback]

Walking on Broken Glass was incredible. I haven't reviewed such an honest and insightful novel in years. Having worked in several rehabs in the past I can attest to the fact that this author has done her research. She has masterfully captured the heart of someone who has had so much pain in her life that she did whatever was necessary to deaden the pain. Without the Lord, however, that usually ends up manifested in self-destructive behavior, such as addiction. I loved how the author showed clearly how families directly influence behavior. If a parent was withdrawn, people often marry a person who is equally withdrawn or passive. It's not what they want, but it's all they know.

I loved that this book gave Leah a voice and she was able to discover who she was underneath her various roles and her stuffed pain. The reader discovers her heart right along with her. And the responses she feels to those revelations is so genuine. There is no fluffy Christian-sounding denial here. While Jesus heals, this story shows that we must work at recovery (of any sort) and that faith is there to gives us legs to stand on, but we must still take each step. I loved that about this book. I also loved the issues between her and her husband. I've met so many women who have just submitted to "get it over with" and then they wonder why they despise their spouse when the layer of numbing addiction is removed.

This novel impressed me so much that it is making my best of 2010 fiction list. More Christian fiction should be this real. The faith journey was perfectly done and the ending made sense. I'd love to see a sequel to this story, but if there isn't one, I'm still satisfied. I am definitely paying attention when this author has new releases and I'm going to review each title as they come out. Walking on Broken Glass is highly recommended, especially for readers who know people who are struggling with addiction and want to understand them better.

Have you ever read a book that felt like it had been written just for you? How about one that seemed as if it had been written about you? Until recently, I hadn't. After reading Walking on Broken Glass, the debut novel by Christa Allan, I can't say that anymore.
On the surface, the story is nothing like my life. Leah Thornton has spent her life turning to alcohol, rather than facing the problems in her life. The death of her infant daughter leads her to depend more and more on beer, wine, and liquor to get through a day. Her best friend Molly and an interesting encounter with frozen apple juice force Leah to face that alcohol isn't covering up her problems, it is intensifying them. It has become her problem.
As Leah enters rehab and travels toward a life of sobriety, she learns more about herself. She's not perfect, with or without a drink in hand, and life is not perfect. Along the way, she realizes that she needs a relationship with God in order to be whole. Even with Him, her life still isn't going to be perfect, but for the first time in a very long time Leah has hope.
Leah's struggles made me face something inside of me. My daughter died before having a chance to live. I handled her death a lot like Leah and the others she met during rehab handled the tough times in their lives. I didn't drown out the pain of my miscarriage with alcohol or cocaine or pot. My drug of choice was food. I didn't really realize that until I read this--that food has become a bit of an addiction for me. Ten days ago we "celebrated" the fifth anniversary of Rylee's passing. I didn't curl up in a ball and cry all day as I had often done in the past. I didn't even have to sit and cuddle with the Care Bear we bought as a reminder. I thought that meant I was doing a good job of moving on with my life. Who knows? Maybe I am. But the fact that every thought of her makes me want to stuff something into my mouth makes me wonder.
And it makes me not want to see my life and my marriage become as out of control as Leah's.
Through this book, Allan gives a deep, realistic look into addictions. Her descriptions of Brookforest are vivid. I've never been in rehab myself, but I could see this place in my mind, could smell the stale cigarette smoke in the air, could feel the vinyl of the chairs. More than once, the situations her characters describe brought me to tears.
To me, the measure of a good book is that it makes the reader feel. Walking on Broken Glass is definitely a good book.

I just finished "Walking on Broken Glass" and enjoyed it immensely. It took me a little while to get into the book, because the main character, Leah, is an alcoholic who has decided to admit herself to rehab. I wasn't sure I could relate. But pretty quickly I began to relate to Leah in terms of her struggle to build balanced relationships with friends and family; her questioning of God and why He let's bad things happen; and the ongoing process of learning who she is.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I also really liked the way this book ends. It's a good ending, it just doesn't tie everything up in a neat package. You know, like life!

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