Inescapable by Nancy Mehl

Inescapable is the first novel I've read by Nancy Mehl, but I'm sure it won't be my last. Published by Bethany House Publishers, copyright 2012, it's twenty-five chapters that literally take the reader to another world. I loved the characters and Lizzie's daughter's name, Charity. I could identify with falling in love with a town and its wonderful people as well as a certain restaurant, and I loved the old restaurant and could just picture Lizzie's cozy apartment above it. In this wonderfully-woven tale, Elizabeth must make a choice between a boy she's known since childhood and the father of her daughter as well as a choice to remain in Kingdom or leave it for Seattle. She depends upon God for guidance with her decision.

Set in a Mennonite town in Kansas, Kingdom is the place Lizzie ran from at eighteen and the place she runs back to five years later when her new life falls apart. On the verge of rebuilding a life in Kingdom, one she and Charity come to love, she finds herself facing a decision to run again, this time to Seattle with Clay. Yet, she knows her heart will remain in Kingdom with Noah. She'd do anything for her daughter, even forsake her own happiness. Charity sees Noah as the prince her mommy's waited for so long, but Lizzie can't help but think God has sent Clay back into her life to give Charity the father she wants and needs. Will Lizzie run from Kingdom again to Seattle with Clay, or will she stop running for once in her life? She's run from her problems since she was eighteen years old. Will she discover some problems are inescapable no matter how long and far she runs? What will God guide her to do in the end?

Nancy Mehl has written a powerful story rich with detail into the way of life of a Mennonite town. Raised Baptist, I found it interesting to read of the beliefs and traditions, and I was able to identify with how changes in tradition can be hard to take, even when change can be for the best. From buggies to cars and trucks, from dark dresses and black head coverings to lighter ones, the author lets the reader become a part of the changes in lifestyle. I couldn't help but root for Lizzie's mother and was glad to see a change for the better in her life in the end and not just from an outhouse to an inside bathroom. An interesting read to say the least, and a great read that tells the tale of Lizzie's life as well as that of her mother's. For young women as well as grandmothers, there's heart-touching reading for all as Lizzie gradually finds her faith again.

Available wherever fine books are sold. Five stars for a novel that illustrates God is inescapable.