It Came Even to Me

By: Drew Hill
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Publication Date: July 20, 2024
ISBN: 979-8-89025-025-4
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Review Date: September 9, 2024

Author Drew Hill has constructed a dynamic, spiritually invigorating tale about conflicts of faith and family, societal mores and personal beliefs with It Came Even to Me.

The story opens when Baptist Reverend Bart Sheldon is called by local police in his small Georgia town, advising him that his son David has been rushed to the hospital following a street fight with two bullies who were attacking another young man. Recuperating with his parents, David opens up about the facts behind the melee – Daniel, the bullies’ targeted victim, and David himself, are gay. This revelation comes as a shock to Bart, whose religious beliefs are rigid in defining being gay as a mortal sin, something that must be condemned. Father and son make their positions clear, creating a rift that threatens to obliterate their previous closeness. But as other family members gradually come to accept David’s chosen path of human love, Bart is forced to rethink what the church has taught him.

The results will be far-reaching, devastating, and, ultimately, uplifting as Bart must make his new convictions known to his congregation and face the consequences – total rejection, the loss of his job, and the need to search for not only new employment, but new acceptance among newly acquired friends. He will have many surprises awaiting that will open his consciousness to fresh perspectives and the ability to battle life’s challenges with newly acquired strengths.

Hill is an experienced non-fiction writer who, in composing this vibrant fiction novel, found himself as he describes it, “set free, liberated to explore life and faith in the realm of fiction.” His talent for that pursuit is immediately evident, as his book begins in credible crisis and concludes with a deftly drawn scene in which a diverse cast of characters unite to recall the life of its narrator. Throughout the book, readers will recognize and empathize as Bart threads his way through what seems at first an insuperable barrier that morphs into a personal struggle and ultimately, an admirable resolution that evokes and spreads positive changes both within and beyond his immediate family. Hill’s imaginative work will make fine focus for spiritually based workshops and discussion, as well as for individual study and contemplation.

Quill says: Hill’s ability to convey and sustain so many differing, indeed opposing, viewpoints and meld them into a resolution based on deeper caring, sincere forgiveness and a wider understanding of scripture will doubtless appeal to readers who may be examining these issues.

For more information on It Came Even to Me, please visit the author's website at: https://coffeewithdrew.blogspot.com