It’s clear that I don’t feel the same way about the book as other reviewers. I had such a hard time reading it that I left it at the first 100 pages. I picked it up later, but skipped another 100 pages to see if the ending could grab my attention better than the beginning, which it surprisingly did! So I have decided to write the review in two parts: the first 150 pages and the last 150 pages. (To be fair, I went back to those skipped pages and read them so I could write an honest review.)

First 150 pages: I chose this book because I loved the cover. Absolutely stunning! But I was expecting something much deeper and more moving at first and I just didn’t feel it, so I put the book down. I proceeded to read other books and then decided to pick this one up again, but skipped a couple hundred pages to see if the ending was any better. I’m glad I did because I loved the second half of the book. These are my issues with the first half: I didn’t feel the struggle or the fear in Rahab when she was talked into prostitution. It seemed to me that she simply accepted it as her lot in her life. I did not feel strong emotions or disgust from her family. Did neither of them defend her or make a lot of fuss about the whole situation? Actually? Isn’t it the sister or the brothers? Nobody? Maybe they were supposed to be emotionally disconnected, but it didn’t feel genuine to me.

She also wanted to feel the horror and panic of Rahab’s first “experience” with a man. Take a minute to imagine how that must have felt. His heart pounding out of his chest, the disgust, the thoughts… and then dismissing all of that out of the book, or worse yet, summing up the entire experience in one paragraph as this author should do. What a disappointment and missed opportunity. I wanted to see her progression from inexperienced girl to professional woman of the night. I wanted to see more of what Rahab talked about in the second half of the book lived through in the first half of the book. Not in gory detail, mind you, but more than I got. Tessa Afshar could have included a lot more.

Now you may be wondering “what kind of sick puppy wants to write about the inner feelings and emotions of a prostitute exposed to the world’s view?” Two words for you: Francine Rivers. Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love is based on the story of Hosea taking a prostitute for a wife and is the book by which I judge ALL other Christian fiction. She is the banner and the Queen, in my opinion. (If you haven’t read “Redeeming Love”, where have you been? Buy it now. I mean it. Don’t waste another minute reading this blog until you’ve ordered “Redeeming Love”, then you can come back and Francine Rivers takes us to a roller coaster of emotions from Angel (Gomer), where Rahab’s emotions seem non-existent until the end of the book, the only thing I can think of is that the author and/or editor is not comfortable with raw and edgy emotions from “Redeeming Love” that could have been featured here on “Pearl in the Sand.”

Second part of the book – I really enjoyed the second half of the book. What the two lovers have to learn from each other to make their relationship work could be echoed by a thousand modern women today. Statistics show that very few women have gone through life without facing trauma that makes them feel guilty, bound, and hurt. Consequently, very few men are equipped to help their spouses overcome these problems and live the life God intended for them. Beautiful lines like this one made me fall in love with Salmone and the second half of the book:

“Just as he had been a warrior of God against the walls of Jericho, so he would be a warrior of God against the walls that trapped his precious wife. He would show the same obedience, the same patience and persistence, the same unwavering determination to win his wife he had proved in battle against the cities of Canaan. The soldier in him smiled.”

This part of the book seemed more realistic to me. He reminded me of counseling sessions that I have participated in. I believe this book would help women see how much it has to hurt to heal and how to help a marriage recover where both parties are fully restored to God together at the end. And then there was the parable of the pearl. Such a wonderful and beautiful example of God’s love for us, but that’s about all I can say about it. You have to read the book.

I don’t know why the beginning couldn’t have been more like the harsh reality of the ending. In short, for me, the book missed a great opportunity. With more emotion and depth at the beginning, it could have moved closer to tracks like “Redeeming Love” and perhaps even bordered on a Christian classic. Maybe it’s not fair to compare the two books, but I couldn’t help myself due to the similar theme. “Pearl in the Sand” is not “redeeming love” but I would recommend reading it anyway.