Official Review: The Red Door - Where Hurt and Holiness C...

[Juliet+1]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Red Door - Where Hurt and Holiness Collide" by Sylvia Peterson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Red Door is a fascinating book in many unique ways. Let's start with the opener. Stephanie, the narrator, begins with: "My mother's death was controlled and controlling—like her. Mine was shocking and unpredicted." Yes, she is speaking of her own death, which happens at the end of Part 1, during which Stephanie reminds us occasionally that she is going to die. We learn about Stephanie's postmortem experiences in Part 2.

Described by the author, Sylvia Peterson, as "fiction wrapped around a core of fact," the novel starts with Stephanie's mother slowly dying of a chronic illness. Whenever she is awake, the mother tells Stephanie about what she has learned while visiting heaven, the most valuable discovery being her ability to "rewrite her script." After her mother's death, Stephanie finds a box of photographs that remind her of stages in her life from early childhood to her present age of 60. She revisits these painful events and shares her thoughts about them.

Born into a troublesome family situation, Stephanie encountered many challenges and made many poor decisions. Even after joining a church group and attempting to improve her approach to dealing with problems, she continued to make mistakes harmful to herself and others. Fighting her way back from drug addiction was only one of the difficulties she endured. Stephanie is a sympathetic, engaging, and credible character; her missteps are ones that anyone might make in the same circumstances. I was saddened by her lack of self-confidence and pleased to see her trying to build a better relationship with her mother and sister.

The value of forgiveness is a key idea in this book, both asking forgiveness for the wrongs done to others and forgiving those who have caused harm. Most important of all, though, is learning to forgive oneself. No one is expected to be perfect; mistakes are a normal part of the human experience. The author uses a variety of techniques to weave this theme into the narrative.

One of the many engaging aspects of Stephanie's story is the way in which it presents the central tenets of Christian belief within a fictional context. This is done with a light touch, straightforward and factual, without any preaching or attempting to convert. I particularly enjoyed Part 2. Stephanie's encounters after her death are highly emotional and described with outstanding creativity.

The Red Door has earned 4 out of 4 stars for its sympathetic and relatable protagonist, excellent writing and editing, imaginative storytelling, and clarity of style. Readers who belong to the Christian faith are the ideal audience for this book, but those of other faiths—or no faith—might appreciate it too. The novel's ingenious portrayal of a woman who has struggled to overcome a lifetime of adversity should appeal to many readers.

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The Red Door - Where Hurt and Holiness Collide
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[Elvis Best]

Wow, I am totally gripped by this book's plot.

"My mother's death was controlled and controlling—like her. Mine was shocking and unpredicted."

This part is especially chilling. Thanks for your insightful review. Good job!

[Ms_Rita30]

I am intrigued by your review. There's always the struggle of forgiving yourself after making a mistake. Through the insight provided by your review, I believe reading this book will provide knowledge on how to ease the struggle. Great job!

[AnnOgochukwu]

I wonder how she knows about her death and her postmortem. I would like to read this book, to satisfy my curiosity.
Thank you for this enlightening review.

[Dayodiola]

What should we call this, Autobiography or biography?

[Lizziemarcel]

Such a touching book, I feel so sorry Stephanie cause she seemed to have gone through tough times in life. I will live to read this book. Thanks for a great review.

[Vic Chimezie]

Wow! I must say that any story about the afterlife interests me. Thanks for an insightful review and for your recommendation. I hope to read it someday.

[sierra_rosemarie]

First of all, good review! Second, the idea of having half the book be before death and the other part told from the afterlife sounds very creative. It sounds very interesting indeed!

[Priyanka2304]

This book is unbelievably different. I am curious to know how the author predicted certain things about herself. Thanks for the review.

[Lisbeth Neverland]

I love books that show the strengths and weaknesses of humans, because they are quite relatable, and they leave the reader generally thinking about certain issues that people have in life. Amazing review!

[Adrianna Melillo]

I've never read a book that's narrated by someone who's died. How interesting! I'll definitely be adding this one to my list. Thank you for the review!

[Annie Reynolds]

There are lots of good books out there but every once in awhile you come across one that you really connect with and have to get other people to read so that you can discuss it with them. This is that book for me. I gave it to my father to read and it has allowed him to process the trauma he experienced having an alcoholic father.

The author, Sylvia Peterson, does an amazing job of developing a character that is relatable and yet not predictable. I found myself working through some of my own hurts and disappointments from relationship with loved ones as I journeyed through this book.

The main character, Stephanie, allows the reader a front row seat to the painful and even abusive relationships with her family and how God guides her through a life from brokenness to forgiveness.

The most surprising and impactful part of this story is how Stephanie experiences Heaven, and finds the answer to a question that most people of faith have wondered at some point in their life: How can Heaven be perfect and without pain if I have to share it with someone who wronged me, or whom I have wronged?

The author presents a solution that satisfies this dilemma from our human perspective. It is not something we will know until we experience it for ourselves, but I find her version very satisfying and eager to metaphorically open the The Red Door.

I cannot recommend this book enough. The writing style, relatability and the mystery of Stephanie's death make this a book that you can't put down.

[Rachel_Emmanuel]

This book is a constant reminder of the endless struggles we face everyday while we are alive.

[bjeddy52]

I am currently reading this book, I've read the first 7 chapters and am really looking forward to reading more tonight. I feel while reading this book like I'm reading Stephanie's journal, this doesn't feel like fiction, it feels real and I feel drawn into the story. Kind of like the little boy reading the book in the movie Never Ending Story. My heart breaks for Stephanie, the relationship she has with both her parents and her sister Ann.
This story has had me sitting on the edge of my seat and in tears. It's an easy read and I'm eager to see what is waiting for me in chapter 8.
Excellent, I highly recommend it.

[Laura Ungureanu]

That sounds like such a unique concept for a book! I love it. Thanks for letting me know.