Does the truth set you free?

Although I’m much better than I used to be, I’m still quick to say yes to requests before giving the process of actually fulfilling the request much thought, especially when the request comes from a person I admire and respect. So when author Mary DeMuth sent me a direct message via the twitter asking if I would be willing to be part of a blog tour for her book Muir House, I immediately said yes. (On the off chance you’ve never heard of Mary DeMuth, she’s a pretty big deal in Christian publishing circles.) Fortunately, the request (and the book) arrived with plenty of time left for me to read it and gather my thoughts about it. What I particularly liked about participating in this blog tour were Mary’s instructions to participants to “simply share their emotional reaction to the book”.

Well, heck. I’m all up in that.

First, a brief description of the story from the back cover:

“You’ll find home one day. Sure as sweet tea on a hot afternoon.”

Words from Willa Muir’s sketchy childhood haunt her dreams and color her days with longing, regret and fear. What do the words mean? Willa is far from sure.

So when Hale Landon places a ring on her finger, Willa panics, feeling she can’t possibly say yes when so much in her past is a mystery. Bent on sorting out her history, Willa returns to Rockwall, Texas, to the Muir House Bed & Breakfast, a former funeral home.

But the old place holds her empty memory close to itself. Willa’s mother utters unintelligible clues from her deathbed, and the caretaker of the house keeps coveted answers carefully protected. Throw in an old flame, and Willa careens farther away from ever knowing the truth.

Set in a growing suburb of Texas, THE MUIR HOUSE explores trauma, healing, love new and old, and the life-changing choices people make to keep their reputations intact.

Having spent most of my life growing up in Texas, I immediately identified with the setting of the book. While Rockwall, Texas is a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth, it could have been any number of small communities in Texas–one very much like the suburb of Houston I call home–a town commonly identified with the major metropolitan area within close proximity, but also fiercely independent and proud of its own identity and history.

It is from this setting that Mary DeMuth pens the richly worded journey of Willa Muir, a woman whose lost memory from childhood, snippets of which haunt her dreams, renders her unable to commit to a future with a man who loves her completely. She feels incomplete without the knowledge of what she fears is a memory so dark she has blocked it from her mind. MUIR HOUSE invites you to ponder the question, Does the truth set you free?

For me, it seems the answer (or answers) to that question is, It depends on who you ask, and different people have their own interpretation of what is true. Your truth may not be theirs. Willa Muir sets out to uncover the whole truth of her past, but like most of the characters in this story, that truth had strings attached. Her memory of a loving and devoted father needed to remain intact, as did her justifications for avoiding her now dying mother who never loved Willa the way a mother should.

What I loved most about this book was its cast of characters. We’re first introduced to them from Willa’s point of view, and it was easy to categorize them as either “good” or “bad”. But rather than creating one-dimensional characters, the author colors their stories with shades of darkness, light and shades of gray, allowing the reader to come their own conclusions as to whether their hearts are in the right place.

If you’re one of those people who faithfully watched LOST from start to finish then venemently complained after the finale because all of your questions were not answered, this book probably isn’t for you. If, on the other hand, you appreciate and are willing to embrace a little mystery and let some questions go unanswered, I would highly recommend this beautifully written book about coming home, and then I would  invite you to consider where home truly resides.