by Chris Fabry
Christian Fiction / Contemporary
Available October 2012
Tyndale House
400 pages
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About the Book
Desperate to escape haunting memories, J. D. Jessup travels from Nashville to Tucson and volunteers on an organic farm. The hardened landowner has one prevailing rule: If J. D. sees an “illegal,” call the border patrol. But when an early morning ride along the fence line leads him to a beautiful young woman named Maria, near death in the desert, his heart pulls him in another direction. Longing to atone for the choices that drove him to Tucson, J. D. hides her and unleashes a chain of deadly events he could never have imagined. Soon they are running from a killer and fighting for their lives. As secrets of their pasts emerge, J. D. realizes that saving Maria may be the only way to save himself.
My Thoughts
Chris Fabry is an award-winning author, so I was excited that my library had several of his books in their downloadable audio section. It’s apparent on most review sites that many did indeed love Borders of the Heart, but I am not one of them. The book is on the longer side at 9.5 hours (or 400 pages). After listening for over 3.5 hours, I still was not any more drawn into the plot than I was at the beginning. It seemed that throughout the book the characters just ran around a lot … and not much else happened. The story is told from JD’s perspective—and much of it through reflection or thoughts while the dialogue and “action” was more minimal. Add to that the fact that I never really liked or cared very much about JD or Maria (the main characters), and I had an extremely difficult time finishing this book.
I will say that my interest in both the plot and the characters picked up for about the last hour of the book, including the 20-minute “epilogue” a year in the future. Personally, if the story had centered more on the year in between and/or the “epilogue” rather than the three days that it did, I think I would have enjoyed the book more. After the three days dragged on for so long, I felt a little cheated with the quickly-wrapped-up ending. One positive for me was that it was fun to hear the writer read his own book—rather than an actor. He did a great job with the narration and the “voices,” so if you enjoy Fabry’s work, you might give the audio version a shot as well. Sadly, though, this was not the book for me. [2 stars]
About the Author
Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live! on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. A 1982 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children.
Chris's novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, and Not in the Heart, have won two Christy Awards and an ECPA Christian Book Award, but it's his lyrical prose and tales of redemption that keep readers returning for more. He has also published more than 65 other books, including nonfiction and novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries and the Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. RPM is his latest series for kids and explores the exciting world of NASCAR.
Chris Fabry Online
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