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Pages: 81
Goes well with: Fried chicken, chocolate cake, and soda
“Bad boys might be exciting,” but Christie’s always a bridesmaid and never a bride in Linda S. Glaz’s novella, Miss FishFly. It’s time she met someone good. Of course, it doesn’t help that the bride, Christie’s best friend, Aleni, is truly twice blessed, with her young son Brice eager and excited to have a new dad. Aleni promises Christie, “You could be [blessed] too. If only you’d allow—“ But church isn’t part of Christie’s world, and she doesn’t believe in blessings.
Young men home from Iraq stand at the altar, supporting the groom and awaiting the bride. Among them is Cole, still recovering from his beloved’s betrayal, and with no plans to settle, ever. But shallow Cole and shallow Christie both have hidden depths. And Cole’s old grandfather—as determined to cling to life as a fishfly clinging to a lamppost—has his own way of teasing those depths up to the surface. He really does believe in blessings, and prayer, and all things in between.
When Christie tells the old man her view of religion he answers, quick and spry, that “Religion does nothing for anyone… But God does…” It’s a wise distinction, and one author Linda Glaz continues to make clear with genuine dialog, heart-rending situations, and pleasing conversation—never the faintest touch of preaching. So yes, maybe there are angels in Iraq, and maybe an old man who’s “really lived without shame or regret” knows a few things about forgiveness. Just maybe too, God might turn Cole and Christie’s pasts into safe and sound foundations for the future.
Flashbacks lend credibility to the character’s attitudes. Dysfunctional families and broken warriors are the legend of our times. And the gift of forgiveness waits. I love the characters and lessons in this story, and how gently the author weaves healing and hurting together, with misunderstandings that never feel forced, and life in the midst of death. Uplifting, sweetly romantic, and genuinely faithful without being preachy or religious, this is a really enjoyable and moving short tale.
