Book Review: Grace in Strange Disguise by Christine Dillon
Book Review: Grace in Strange Disguise by Christine Dillon
31 December 2019
Christine Dillon invites us to step back and see our life in the context of God’s wider plan of redemption.
John Piper released a booklet in 2011 called Don’t Waste Your Cancer to encourage Christians that even cancer provides the opportunity for spiritual growth, as well as the opportunity for God to be glorified.
Christine Dillon’s contemporary debut novel, Grace in Strange Disguise, reflects this theme, with the story’s heroine, Esther, just 29 when she is told she has cancer.
Esther is the daughter of a highly successful and controlling megachurch pastor, William MacDonald. She enjoys her work as a physiotherapist and is busy planning her wedding to Nick, the youth pastor.
After the initial shock of the diagnosis, Esther seizes the opportunity for growth and emerges on the other side of cancer as a completely different person.
Her father, however, remains stuck in his theology – that lack of healing results from weak faith or unconfessed sin – and his failure to support Esther is heart-wrenching.
An encounter with a hospital cleaner leads Esther to investigate faith and healing in the Bible, and she discovers that her previous understanding of God has been shallow.
The cleaner becomes a close friend, who teaches Esther the art of Bible story-telling. Esther eagerly shares the stories with fellow sufferers of cancer, and the chasm between her and her father continues to widen.
The wedding plans are thrown into disarray while Esther receives treatment, and she also discovers that her relationship with Nick was not as close as she once believed.
This book is a breath of fresh air within the Christian fiction market, which appears to be dominated by sweet romances and historical fiction.
Dillon does not shy away from the harsh realities of cancer treatment and the isolation that sufferers can experience. When Esther attends a party during treatment she finds that no one says hello. “This was her daily experience. People didn’t know what to say, so they didn’t say anything.” Yet, this is also a story of hope and a reminder that God’s love and purposes transcend our suffering. “Without cancer,” Esther says, “I’d never have met you (Joy, the cleaner) and I’d still be deceiving myself that I knew Jesus.”
I expect Dillon to continue growing as a writer. The characterisation is a little uneven: Esther and Joy shine off the page while William borders on unbelievable. Nevertheless, it is clear that Dillon is a skilled storyteller. Passages of dialogue containing Bible story-telling are particularly engaging, and inspired me to purchase the non-fiction book: Telling the Gospel through Story: Evangelism that keeps hearers wanting more (2012: Intervarsity Press USA).
Grace in Strange Disguise is a thought-provoking read for any Christian who is seeking to share their faith effectively, but will especially assist those who are struggling to reconcile the God of miracles with their own experience of suffering.
Dillon invites us to step back and see our life in the context of God’s wider plan of redemption. Readers who are interested in following Esther’s story will be pleased to learn that this book is the first in a trilogy, with the second instalment, Grace in the Shadows, now available as an e-book.
Comments
Thank you for this review (please paste short sections of it to Amazon and Goodreads). The third book is also published (July 2019) - Grace in Deep Waters (the continuing story of Esther's parents). The first two are also available on audio book. I'm currently working on the fourth book - title unknown.