Broken

Broken by Travis Thrasher is another profound and disturbing novel by an author who is quickly becoming known for works like this. Laila Torres has spent the last several years of her life running from something, and her flight became vital six months ago when she killed a man. Now she's on the run and hunted by several men, all who want something different from her, but she's seeing and hearing things that make her feel like she's losing her mind. What do you do when there's nowhere left to run? Broken starts out in short, disconnected pieces that slowly come together into a haunting story that creates the illusion that the reader is in a nightmare where no image is to be trusted and nothing is exactly what it seems. Thrasher juggles the almost surrealistic setting at times with the harsh realities of a woman who is suffering deep soul pain with no idea about where to find relief. He isn't afraid to push the character right up and over the edge. I was stunned several times by Laila's actions, but Thrasher's characterization is so deep, that every move always feels completely authentic. Ultimately, the story is about hope; that broken place inside of us when hope is completely shattered and the choices we make from that point on, constantly reacting to life from a place of pain and heartbreak. Even the antagonists, in the midst of their most vile acts, are still seeking hope, because that is the human condition. Thrasher has written the rare suspense novel that truly has a deeper message of faith and hope.

Laila is a character so broken, so completely shattered, that is is difficult to hope that she can ever possibly be whole again. From the moment you meet her, she is running hard and fast toward an uncertain future and away from certain death. Travis Thrasher's novel, Broken is an honest, brutal look into the face of human depravity and the wondrous truth that God loves us enough to hear us when we cry out for deliverance from our own brokenness. Laila is a woman tortured by her past. What began as a naïve teenage rendezvous mushroomed into brutality that inhabits your darkest nightmares. And if that weren't enough, the choices Laila made for years following that moment spiraled into an abyss so dark and deep that she began to believe she was coming unhinged from reality itself. Evil has followed Laila throughout her journey and threatens to smother her soul. However, her complete demise is continually thwarted by unexplained visions and actions. Is this real or imagined? Why is Laila allowed to live when others must sacrifice everything? Readers, Broken was a complex and uncomfortable read for me. At first, I admit I was confused and uncertain of Travis Thrasher's message. But, as has been my experience with any of his stories I have encountered, Travis subtly and carefully brings redemption to bear in the lives of his haunted, broken characters. Grace begins to leap from the pages with blinding brilliance. Honestly, the entire book was so worth the final pages that I was almost overwhelmed with gratitude and the awesome power of my loving Savior. The desperate way Laila ran from her past and the hopelessness she saw in her future were palpable, and I've seen it time and time through my volunteer work. More than that, the darkness of my own heart and the sin that lives within it echoed Laila's profound amazement she felt when redemption reached beyond her brokenness. We are all Laila. Grace overcomes all of our brokenness, and God's grace alone can make us whole

You'll recall the Biblical story of Hosea: called by God to marry a prostitute in order to demonstrate the love God has for His people and to portray in vivid detail how His people are sinning against Him. The picture we get from this comes from God's perspective. But what of the woman? What of this soul so broken that she finds it hard to love herself let alone another? In a stunning tale of mystery, intrigue, and danger, Broken takes us on a heart-rending journey in the life of Laila, a girl whose broken past is beginning to catch up with her. Six months earlier, she'd killed a man. In her defense, it was to protect herself, but she's still haunted by the guilt. Nobody knows. Nobody. Or so she thinks. When she's discovered by a stranger who knows about her crime, and wants to make her pay, she's forced to run. But running seems to do little good. Her only chance is to accept the help of the One who can bind up the broken and make her whole again. Each time I read a novel by Travis Thrasher, I close the cover and tell myself that was his best. But I find it hard to imagine that Thrasher is going to be able to surpass Broken easily. As the pieces fell together in the closing chapters, as the mystery became clear, as the tension heightened, as the story climaxed, as the theme hit home and began to wash over my soul...the story literally drove me to tears. And when I did close the cover, it left me in quiet and prayerful contemplation. The writing is superb. It takes a few chapters to get used to Thrasher's use of the present tense, but it's a technique that throws the reader into the moment more than ever. Flashbacks in the form of diary entries serve to paint the background story for this broken soul. The action is intense, the pace breakneck, the aura of mystery palpable, the sense of the supernatural mysterious. But it all serves only to point to Thrasher's theme: No matter how broken, there is hope for redemption. Broken? That's a place I've been, a place I am. Not the situation that Laila finds herself in, but I get Thrasher's message. It's his Hosea story. It's his story of all of us and how utterly broken we are and how we need the hope that can only be found in Jesus. Of how, even though we are the cause of our brokenness, He takes His broken heart and heals us with His broken body. In the vein of Isolation and Ghostwriter, Thrasher gives us Broken, one of his best stories to date.

Laila Torres is a beautiful young women who is trying to settle down in Greenville, South Carolina. What others don't know is that Laila killed a man in self-defense as an escort in Chicago. When Laila is approached by a man claiming to be the brother of the man she killed, Laila feels like she has no choice but to run and hide somewhere else. No matter what Laila does, she feels like her past is coming back to haunt her. With her brother and a coworker trying to help Laila out, she tries to overcome the issues of her past and find peace. Travis Thrasher has really grown in his recent books and this one is no different. He really does a great job in his characterization, especially with Laila. Like all of us, Laila is broken and wants to find love and acceptance. She has made mistakes but the thing she needs the most is forgiveness. This story is quite dark at times, but there is a strong message of hope for us all. Highly recommended.

Laila is running from the demons of her past and they are quickly closing in. Sure, she's made her fair share of mistakes, even bringing much of the hurt upon herself. She longs to escape and be free, but more than that she wants to be whole again, to somehow find a way to gather up the shattered pieces of her life. For too long she has tried things her way and it's only brought her here: fleeing a mysterious stranger who knows what she did and wants to make her pay. As the demons of her past close in, Laila must decide whether to confront them or forever remain broken. Travis Thrasher has tackled a wide range of genres in his career: romance, suspense, mystery, adventure, and more recently horror. Most publishing and marketing experts would wag their fingers at this scattershot approach, but Thrasher has managed to pull it off with his indelible talent. What I love most about Thrasher's writing is the passion he brings to each story. He consistently creates characters that jump off the page and well defined plots that propel the story forward. This has allowed him to transcend genre and his writing always seems to reflect and celebrate the power of story. Broken is certainly no exception, and may just be his best yet. Thrasher shifts gears a bit from Isolation and Ghostwriter, toning down the scares without losing the supernatural edge that I loved in both novels. This is a fast paced read supported by engaging dialogue, well depicted locations, and a powerful twist in the end. Each chapter begins with a journal entry from Laila and these scenes were by far my favorite. With Laila, Thrasher has given us such a beautiful, messed up character. While you may not be able to relate to the specifics of her struggle, you will find yourself thinking about the broken pieces of your own life and the journey we all travel towards redemption. In the end I was moved by the revelations and awed by the way Thrasher pulled it off. I'm sure Travis Thrasher has people in the "biz" constantly telling him to work on his brand, pick a genre, blah, blah, blah, etc. I applaud him for following his heart and pouring himself into every line, no matter where his books may be sorted on the shelves. If you long for memorable characters and stories that captivate then you can't go wrong with Travis Thrasher.