My rating: 5/5
Astounding. Inspiring. Hopeful. Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes is a sensational story with enthralling themes of redemption, faith, and family that made this a merited 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year. This novel is undoubtedly unforgettable and sure to evoke hope in the hearts of the readers.
“The strength of the storm does not change whose waves these are. There is One mightier still” (Whose Waves These Are).
Set in the small community of Ansel, Maine termed Ansel-By-The Sea by the locals, Whose Waves These Are is a dual timeline historical Christian novel with a memorable cast of characters and charming main characters, including Annie Sawyer and Robert “Bob” Bliss. The novel intermittently switches from modern day era in 2001, in which readers are brought into the personal life, challenges, and maturation of Annie as she embarks on an unexpectedly impactful chapter of her life. While focusing on advancing in her career in anthropology while living alone in Chicago, she suddenly receives a message concerning the well-being of her Great Uncle Bob in Ansel. She immediately goes to see about him and finds herself resolving aspects of her past and discovering unknown facts of her family that impart purpose, healing, and love.
The story effortlessly transitions into the past, beginning in the year 1944 in which the plot focuses on Bob as he experiences the highs and lows of life that eventually intertwines and impacts the life of Annie rather profoundly. Readers are introduced to Bob as a young man at a pivotal point in his life, when he receives a letter from the military either assigning him or his twin brother Roy to serve in World War II. The contents of the letter separate the brothers and seal their fate. A poignant event leads Bob to build a lighthouse that will serve as a reminder to those that have experienced loss of the inspiring gift of life and to provide an ever-present light amid darkness. Readers receive an enriching faith filled experience by joining the characters as they navigate the happiness, sadness, loss, and hopeful redemption that they experience within the course of the story.
In Whose Waves These Are, eloquent writing and a beautiful onslaught of characters encompass the beauty of this marvelous story. Author Amanda Dykes masterfully created a tale that is both character and plot driven and welds a fantastic conglomeration of inspiring messages within a story that touches on some disheartening events. There is impeccable Christian faith content within the plot that points to the redemptive love of Jesus Christ. The novel is medium paced which pleasantly allows the reader to become absorbed in the story. Ultimately, this is unquestionably a remarkable novel, that I highly recommend.
