Translating a World on the Edge

A sin may, at first, seem a small thing. It may even have a hint of conscience, until it becomes habitual and infectious to everyone around it. Love also begins small, becomes habitual, and infectious as well. Except love is honorable in the human person, while sin degrades his or her soul.

Of course, sin is all around us. It surely happens in politics since it is made up of many people with ambition, people who ignore goodness if it interferes with their political goals. A few examples of some politicians ignoring of goodness are these: the taking of a human life in the womb, the mistaken confusion that we can change our own gender, or the misrepresentation of what marriage truthfully is. These acts demean us as human beings created by God. And yet, each one of us can choose to agree, and even do, any of them.

This is why we use other human beings for our own ends, ignoring their God-given value.  This is why the truthful family, based upon the sacrament of marriage, is being negatively affected. This is why the deep responsibility to guide children who come from that marriage is being overlooked. This is why it is imperative to look upward to God for guidance, rather than looking around at the temporary world we live in. Except, genuine love isn’t easy, has never been easy, and will never be easy.

Taking the easy way out through wrong behaviors, decays not only ourselves, but also, spreads like a virus to others.

In my new Southern Gothic novel, ABSENCE, This is what happens to James Greene, a southern farmer who will do whatever he has to do, even if it is evil, to keep the farm he sees as his legacy from disappearing. This is also what happens to us when we forget who we really are, and who we come from. Just as James Greene, in the floods and droughts of life, we listen to false voices, swallow false precepts, and fall into corruption rather than goodness. We lose the ones we love, and find ourselves suffering, totally lost, and miserable. Can we recoup?  In our loneliness, are there people who can show us the way back? And could those people possibly be the ones we have hurt?

ABSENCE is foremost the story of love’s restoration between James Greene and his wife of many years, and between James’s son, William, and his new, second wife. In the mix, is Cecilia, the daughter and sister they maligned, who disappeared from their view, but will not let go of their minds. It is also the story of innocence in the persons of two children who strive to keep the entirety of their family in tact.

Here are some reviews:

High Caliber fiction. The characters are superbly drawn, though at times, I didn’t like some of them very much—just as it is in real life. And yet, I pulled for these characters, especially James Greene. It is a story about losing one’s soul, and finding it again. A great read.

Renewed love is a theme in this novel, along with the struggle between human nature and the nature of the world. Discord in a family of farmers, comes when floods and droughts drastically affect their livelihood. But when James Greene actually buys a baby to replace his still-born child, then presents it to his unknowing wife, Katy, as her own, he is caught in a web in which despicable havoc ensues.

Moves fast enough to keep your interest, but slow enough to savor the significance between the lines. The Greene family is beset with problems stemming from the heart of each character. The question is, will they solve those problems?

From Joseph Pearce, the author of numerous literary works.  Visit his website at jpearce.co. ~Those who have read Kaye Park Hinckley’s earlier novels will know that she is one of the most exciting and gifted writers of contemporary faith-inspired fiction. This latest offering does not disappoint. Absence will further establish Mrs. Hinckley’s hard-earned reputation as a teller of gritty and gripping stories infused with subtle hints of the redemptive power of grace.

From Dena Hunt, author of award-winning novels, Treason and The Lion’s Heart ~Hinckley does it again. Absence put me in mind of Faulkner as a generation-transcending saga set in the South. But unlike Faulkner, Hinckley does not leave the reader feeling burdened by the tragic consequences of the sins of the fathers visited upon their children. Instead, Hinckley enlightens, revealing the indissolubility of love and truth, and restoring love and life. A terrific read.

From Meggie Daly, author of Bead by Bead ~”Absence” is the sixth book by Kaye Park Hinckley that I have read and loved. “Absence” and the “Wind that Shakes the Corn” are my all-time favorites. While reading “Absence,” I forced myself to go slowly to savor her sentences like an excellent meal that I didn’t want to end. The author “paints” compelling personifications of good and evil as three generations of characters battle internal demons and nature. The plot in “Absence” is intricate, layered, and surprising up until the last page. Themes of longing, abandonment, forgiveness, callousness, regret, unconditional love, and mercy will stay with the reader long after finishing the book. I can’t recommend this book highly enough—a masterpiece!

If you would like to download, read and review ABSENCE FOR FREE on NetGalley, here is the link: https://www.netgalley.com/widget/250537/redeem/cd423971f343f9990557881eee3501d3980a4a7a225bd6165ff98e0498402d9d

#ABSENCE  #NETGALLEY

Because there is no novel with better themes of human sin, contrition, and love’s restoration than Victor Hugo’s Les Miserable, portrayed beautifully in the musical production.