Book Review - When Joy Came to Stay

Not surprisingly, Karen Kingsbury has produced another heartfelt, touching story of a Christian family in a time of crisis. This time, she takes on the topic of faithful Christians struggling with depression. At the same time, she offers insight into the world of foster care and the story of a little girl no one wants to adopt.

Maggie Stovall seems to have everything together when it comes to spiritual matters. No one - including her husband - realizes that she struggles with depression born of a past misstep. Indeed, it seems Maggie is keeping a number of things secret from her spouse, and those mistakes take their toll. At her wits end, Maggie checks herself into a psychiatric hospital, not realizing that it is Christian-based. Here, she comes to understand that sometimes there are causes for depression that take more than faith to overcome. She gradually works through her struggles and emerges the stronger for them.

Her husband, Ben, has been broadsided by the change in Maggie (although he didn't realize until it was too late that those changes were long in coming). When she tells him she wants a divorce because he doesn't really know her, Ben decides instead to try to find the secret she has kept hidden for so long. The answer takes him by surprise, and forces him to re-evaluate not only his wife but also how he has judged others in his life.

And then there is Amanda Joy, a beautiful little girl in the foster care system that no one seems to want. Too old to attract attention for adoption, she drifts from one foster care to another, and each one seems to be worse than the last. Somehow, she holds on to her faith in God, inspiring some of those who come in contact with her, as she continues to seek her "forever family."

Kingsbury has done a remarkable job of weaving these lives together. I particularly appreciate the approach she took to depression. Too often, Christians believe that faith should be enough, and so wind up struggling longer than they need to in order to find peace. Kingsbury handles the subject masterfully, and provides a great deal of food for thought.

This is the latest of several novels I have read recently by Kingsbury that has handled the adoptive situation. I don't know if it was Amanda's story in particular, or just a gradual movement from the many encounters on the subject, but I found myself seriously considering foster parenting. Her writing makes it clear that she has had numerous experiences with social services, and I appreciate the way she brought that information to others. That said, she isn't preaching the subject, so please don't let it deter you from reading.

All in all, a masterful work, filled with vivid characters and excellent theological points. Kingsbury has, I am sure, helped many struggling with depression to move towards healing, while penning an uplifting and entertaining (if not heart wrenching) novel.