In All Deep Places

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (9/06) Mystery Writer of the Year Luke Foxbourne disregards his latest book deadline and returns home when his father suffers a stroke. Back in his hometown he divides his time between visiting his father in the hospital, helping his mother, and assuming his father's duties running the family-owned newspaper. At his childhood home, the empty green house next door reminds him of unpleasant memories. As thoughts of his neighbors resurface, he finally devotes time to thinking through the past that he never wanted to revisit. Cranky old Mrs. Janvik had lived next door and few things ever went well for her or her family. When her grandchildren came to live with her, Luke and his brother befriended them. But Norah and her troubled younger brother weren't like Luke's family. Norah's parents either spent time in jail or had too much wild fun to retain custody of the children all the time. The kids lived with their grandmother on and off and lacked the stability and security that Luke took for granted. Luke wondered if God had cursed his neighbors. How could so many things go wrong for them otherwise? Luke's family tried to show them kindness and the love of God. Luke, in his youthful idealism, had promised to protect Norah, but was unable to do so. He knew he let her down and avoided dealing with the matter for years. Now, he launches a new writing project--a memoir in which he explores the mystery and the unanswered questions that he has avoided for so long. Why did God allow misfortune to plague the Janviks until they could no longer cope with the misery? Did Norah find happiness? Did she reconcile with God? Did good prevail in her life? With his wife's encouragement, Luke seeks out Norah to learn the outcome of her story. Luke doesn't find all the answers to his questions, but he does discover forgiveness and peace. Meissner writes about deep spiritual questions in a fresh and surprising style. "In All Deep Places" explores the God-shaped longing that exists within humans--that same hunger alluded to throughout literature and poems such as Francis Thompson's "The Hound of Heaven." Without resorting to preaching or trite answers, Meissner grapples with the age-old questions about bad things happening to good people. Although the struggles in this coming-of-age novel saddened me at times, I enjoyed the well-crafted story. When immersed in life's deep places, we seek assurance that we will survive, maybe even triumph. "In All Deep Places" offers hope for emotional healing and hope for a promising future.

The fragrance of heaven wafts softly through the pages of Susan Meissner's gentle story In All Deep Places. Meissner works her usual magic, holding her readers captive in a disquieted world she has created of a successful young writer who is called home to assist in a family crisis. Luke finds himself stuck in two stories: the fictional one he is stymied in writing, and the boyhood one from which he fled so many years before. His quest for understanding, breakthrough and victory are what drive the story. This is an honest story which causes one to reflect on the outcome of selfish human choices. The book is imbued with the imagery of heavenly longings common to all people. These subtle images are bits of hidden treasure, loosely covered, with just enough glimmer to beg the discerning reader to dig for more. It is in these that the real hope of the story lies. I became immersed from the beginning and was sorry to turn the final page.

Susan Meissner is very gifted in captivating a reader's attention from the first page through the end of the last. In All Deep Places brings characters to life that a reader can relate to and care about. It takes you on a journey of faith, and transitions from present to past and back to present easily. In this book, like her previous ones, I found a story that is not only thought provoking, but soul stirring and heart touching as well. I can't wait to read the next book God gives her!!

Susan Meissner is a great writer. In All Deep Places is one of her finest pieces. Introduce yourself to a writer that will provide you with a great story and compelling characters. You will not be disappointed!

Luke Foxbourne is living the good life. He's left behind the Iowa of his youth and resides in a grand house in Connecticut. He's a successful mystery writer with a beautiful wife and two lovely young daughters. But following his father's stroke, Luke returns to Iowa and to the memories of a young girl from a troubled home next door to his. It is in Iowa that Luke revisits his first kiss with Norah and all the drama that preceded it. It is there that his writer's block lifts as he tells his story and that of Norah. But the end can't be known until he learns just what the ending was for Norah. Can we really go home? Perhaps a better question is, where is home? Luke's story is about finding the home with God that was always there and offering that gift to someone else. In All Deep Places, Susan Meissner has once again skillfully examined the basic truth of what it is to be alive in the world, with all the good and all the bad that is there. But she doesn't leave it at that. She gently reminds us that it is God's grace and love that will see us through the night. Meissner's plots are full-bodied and compelling and her characters are multi-dimensional people that seem so real, you forget you're reading fiction. Armchair Interviews says: Meissner's books are must-reads. Their beautiful messages are yours there for the taking. What a gift to her readers!