“Pearl in the Sand” by Tessa Afshar
10th Anniversary Edition
Review copy through the publishers/author
My rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
About the Book:
Can a Canaanite harlot who made her living enticing men be a fitting wife for a leader of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible’s answer is yes.
This 10th anniversary edition of Pearl in the Sand includes new features that will invite you into the untold story of Rahab’s journey from lowly outcast to redeemed child of God. Rahab’s home is built into a wall, a wall that fortifies and protects the City of Jericho. However, other walls surround her too, walls of fear, rejection, and unworthiness… Years of pain and betrayal have wounded Rahab’s heart—she doubts whether her dreams of experiencing true love will ever come true…
A woman with a wrecked past—a man of success, of faith… of pride. A marriage only God would conceive! Through the heartaches of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another’s worth and find healing in God.
My Thoughts:
How has it been ten years since this beautiful novel first released? I have such fond memories including Pearl in the Sand. I just happened upon it after it first came out, sitting on our library’s New Release shelf, and it was my first foray back into the world of Christian Romance after taking a break. I’m so glad I picked it up, and I devoured it that first time. It touched me so much, I got my own copy and read it again…and again…and here I am now, having the absolute delight of reading the new revised edition. This beautiful story touched me as much now as it did each of the previous reads of it.The author does such a brilliant job of telling Rahab’s story – her life as a harlot and what led up to that point is delicately told in a matter of the first few chapters. It is never explicit, or summed up with no meaning; it truly is handled with care and grace. Each of the characters are so realistic and so multidimensional. We are engulfed in their struggles right alongside them, and it is a joy to become a part of their journey.I love this novel so much. The message is so touching. It’s not just about Rahab and Salmone, it is about God’s pursuing, redeeming, and precious love for us. He woos us, and calls us worthy. I tear up every time I read Pearl in the Sand, because these truths are so wondrously told – it impacts me every time.The author’s note in this new edition also had me misty-eyed. She writes so from the heart, and that heart is so for the Lord that it translates vibrantly to the page.This will remain one of my favourite reads for ever, I am quite sure. I love how God uses it, and how the author allows the Lord to use her! <3