The Fragrance of Surrender

How do you petition a God you’ve come to hate and are not even sure exist?

That’s the question we find Gabriella, April Geremia’s central character in The Fragrance of Surrender facing.  What is it that would make a loving mother of a young son contemplate death?  From a young girl, it seems that life has not been kind to Gabriella and just when she feels things are turning around for her life throws another curve ball. Geremia’s book challenges readers to examine our faith and walk with God and how our past experiences may be influencing the way we view God. It’s interesting to see how Gabriella’s lost pushes her away from God yet her son is drawn to Him.

Is that not how we are in our lives? Life circumstances have a way of either drawing us closer to God or propelling us away from him out of anger and disappointment. Yet even in the disappointment and anger, God pursues us and when we are open salvation and transformation can come to even the hardest of hearts. The author writes a beautifully compelling story filled with mystery, faith, and hope in the midst of pain.  This intriguing book kept me up late at night as I anxiously read to find out what happened next in the lives of the characters and hated to say goodbye to them as the book drew to a close. I look forward to reading the next book in the Souls of the Sea series. I appreciate the author providing a copy in exchange for my review.

SUMMARY

What would cause a woman to stand on the edge of a cliff deciding whether to slip over it or to live another day?
How bad would it have to be?
And what if she can’t turn to God because she believes He’s the root of all her problems?
Set among the fragrant sweet smell of ripening orange tree blossoms, this emotional story is about a woman who battles God for the right to determine how things should be. Gabriella’s life has been filled with tragedy, including the mystery of why her own parents disappeared one night, leaving her alone at a tender young age. Soon after her husband dies, she and her son move to her childhood home—a house on a cliff by the sea in a village that time has left behind. It’s there that she and some local villagers begin the process of bringing her parent’s old orange grove back to life.
As Gabriella begins to put together the pieces of why her parents abandoned her, she soon learns they were victims of powerful forces that threatened to tear apart the quiet little village by the sea. And that knowledge, along with all the other losses she’s experienced, causes Gabriella to view God with great suspicion and fear. So when her young son experiences a dramatic conversion and begins to serve Him, an all-out battle ensues.
During this time, Gabriella often feels called to the edge of the cliff, torn between letting herself slip over it and ending the pain, or fighting for a happiness she’s not even sure exists. Will Gabriella continue to do battle with God? Or will she come to have faith in the God she blames for all the tragedies she’s suffered?
And what role will her young son play in her decision?
This book considers questions like: What happens when God doesn’t act like we think He should? And Can someone who has experienced so much pain and disappointment ever really let go of the hurt and learn to trust Him?