Saturday, December 17, 2011

INSPYS Review: The Blackberry Bush - David Housholder

Publisher:  Summerside Press
Pages:  208
Source:  Review copy from publisher for INSPYS
Genre:  Adult, General Fiction


From Goodreads:

Who are You, and what are you doing here?
Two babies—Kati and Josh—are born on opposite sides of the world at the very moment the Berlin Wall falls. You'd think such a potent freedom metaphor would become the soundtrack for their lives, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Despite his flawless image, Josh, an artistic and gifted California skateboarder, struggles to find his true role in the world, and his growing aggression eventually breaks him.
Kati, a German with a penchant for classic Swiss watches and attic treasure-hunting, is crushed with disappointment for never being “enough” for anyone—most especially her mother.
Craving liberation, Kati and Josh seem destined to claim their birthright of freedom together. After all, don't the “chance” encounters transform your life…or are they really chance?
My Thoughts:
First off let me say I didn't dislike this book.  I just never found the love for it I usually find.  At times I felt lost in the story and I don't mean that in a good way.  I don't mind switching POV in a book.  the change of POV and time period often left me re-reading to try to figure out what was going on.  The character's were believable, yet they almost seemed to be a contradiction.  Kati never felt loved or accepted except by her Opa.  She felt ugly, yet she tattoos and pierces her body.  Josh only feels balance when on a skateboard or surfing yet almost ruins it for himself and his friend.
One thing I did like was this book could be read by a Christian and they would see a Christian message and yet I could recommend this to my non-Christian friends and they would see the "good" or "inspiring" message.


The questions at the end did make me question how I justify things I  do in my life. Out of all of the books this was my least favorite one. I know there is someone out there who would just love this book.  I've read other reviews and many people do.  It was just not written in a style that  made it pleasurable for me.  I didn't feel the message I hoped to glean from it. 


About the Author:  David Housholder
David Housholder, Fulbright Scholar (University Bonn ’88–89) and international conference speaker, speaks three languages. An avid philosophical-spiritual influencer and surfer, he currently leads an indie-warehouse California beach church, where he dreams and works for a better world.

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