Meet my friend, BFF, volunteer editor, and now fellow author!
I’m thrilled to introduce Rebekah Gyger, the author of Hidden Scars: Rahab. Rebekah and I first met when she joined my BFF Team many years ago. (BFFs are a special group of readers who help promote my books.) She has a passion for God’s Word, research, archaeology, and reading–everything I love too! Because Rebekah also had a fantastic eye for detail, she offered to edit some of my shorter stories and first drafts.
Though I never agree to read first drafts for even close friends, when Rebekah contacted me to read her debut novel, Hidden Scars, for possible endorsement, I was honored–but also a little nervous. What if I didn’t like it? I’ve read three or four renditions of Rahab’s story. What could Rebekah add that I hadn’t seen before?
I’m thrilled to say Hidden Scars is FABULOUS and well worth the read! No matter what other versions of Rahab’s stories you’ve read, this one answers some niggling questions that still remained in my mind…
Book Description:
When Rahab’s face is scarred and her marriage prospects ruined, her father forces her into prostitution to recoup her lost bride price. With her new place of business near the main gate of Jericho, she is witness to the number of people who have entered the city to flee the approaching Israelites.
Despite Moses’ assurance of Yahweh’s mercy, Israel is a people always at war, with elders who die in the wasteland of the Sinai desert. And as the leader of the tribe of Judah, Salmon is at the fore, dispensing Yahweh’s justice.
While Salmon wishes to see Yahweh’s mercy, Rahab looks for salvation. Is either possible when the people of Israel are on a course to enact judgment and destruction across the land of Canaan? Or will the survival of a prostitute from the city of Jericho be the mercy Salmon has been searching for?
My Review:
4 1/2 Smiles 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 1/2
Rebekah Gyger’s powerful epic of Rahab’s personal heartbreak and family woes will grab your heart and steal your breath. It’s a stunning debut from a well-traveled author and avid researcher. Gyger’s familiarity with the Middle East is evident in her expertly woven descriptions and cultural context.
When I read Rahab’s account in the Bible, I find many unanswered questions. Rahab begs the spies to save her family’s life, right? If she’s still in contact with family, why is she a prostitute? How did she acquire the valuable home in Jericho’s city wall? Why would Rahab betray the king’s soldiers at her door to hide enemy spies she’d likely just met that night? And why trust that Israel’s God would save HER?
Gyger explains all those queries with plausible and fascinating detail, giving names and exquisite personality to each of Rahab’s family and friends so her readers feel invested in the family Rahab wants to save. Her relationships in the Israelite camp after the conquest are equally believable, slow to develop, but true to Scripture’s victorious end.
So, why not give Hidden Scars another 1/2 star and make it an even 5? I save those 5-star reviews for absolutely exceptional works. Though this book rivals Tessa Afshar’s Pearl in the Sand (my Amazon aff link)) as my favorite telling of Rahab’s story, Gyger’s writing will improve with future books. I can’t wait to read what comes next! I’ve definitely added Rebekah Gyger to my “must read” list of biblical novelists!
Short Bio:
Rebekah Gyger is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Religious Studies with an emphasis in early Judaism. In 2015, she spent the summer in Jordan as part of an archaeological dig team and was able to visit numerous Biblical sites, as well as experience Middle Eastern culture. As of now, she works as an archaeologist in the United States of America doing cultural resource management.
(All links to Hidden Scars on this page connect to my Amazon affiliate account.)
