Light From Distant Stars by Shawn Smucker

Are you looking for something different than the usual fiction to read? Light From Distant Stars by Shawn Smucker is a tale with a mix of mystery, spiritual reflection and a story about relationships with broken people and redemption.

At the start of Light from Distant Stars, Cohen Marah finds his father's body in the embalming room of the family's funeral home. He then reflects on their life together--a life of brokenness and pain in many ways. At the heart of his worries he also wonders if he is responsible for his father's death.Throughout the book we follow the story of Cohen and his sister, Kaye, his mother and his father, as well as his childhood friends. This is a story told both in the here and now and one that reflects back on Cohen's childhood. I never got confused though, Smucker's tale fell into a gentle rhythm of back and forth that left me easily keeping track of the story.

Light From Distant Stars was an intriguing read. It was quite different than my usual reads. However, it was different in a good way in that it made me think and reflect on my own beliefs, as well as the characters in the story. I think that is a good thing. I think this book also takes the reader through a lot of emotions. By the end of the book, I felt a lot better about a couple of the characters than I did when it began. I don't want to say too much and give away any spoilers. Light From Distant Stars also deals with issues quite relevant in our world today. It would be a great book for a book club to discuss, although discussion questions are not included in the back of this book.

I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.