Words Unspoken Book

Lissa Randall's future was bright with academic promise until the tragic accident that took her mother's life--and brought her own plans to a screeching halt. Eighteen months later Lissa is still unable to get back behind the wheel.

Ev McAllistair's driving school looks like Lissa's best hope for getting her life back on the road again. His patience and fatherly wisdom seem to transcend the driving experience. But Ev's own complicated past is about to resurface, with consequences for everyone in his orbit....

Publishers Weekly

Evangelical Christian fiction author Musser (The Swan House) has penned a thoughtful, poignant novel involving, of all arenas, the publishing world. Lissa Randall, a depressed teenager, hears accusatory "words unspoken" every day as she relives the car accident that took her mother's life. Unable to drive by herself because of her paralyzing fear, Lissa enrolls in a driving school, where her elderly instructor, Ev MacAllister, fights similar emotional battles. The two explore their pasts, often with resistance, and both find a convergence of faith and eventual resolution. Musser's story line allows several themes to be subtly woven in: depression is a no-holds-barred victimizer; repercussions from past/present choices do make a difference; and there are no such things as "random occurrences" in this life. Musser somehow pulls her characters-a bevy of quirky personalities-back to a center point, mostly with success, although some of the conclusions read a bit too tidily. Overall, the novelist's work is solid and fans will be pleased. (May)

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