Tender Grace by Jackina Stark is a poignant story about a woman's quest to reclaim her voice and her life after the death of her husband. Audrey Eaton has isolated herself after the sudden death of her husband Tom just a few months into their early retirement. She stopped substitute teaching, seeing friends, and doing any reading, including her Bible. Her life revolves around watching lots of television to numb her pain; she's even stopped speaking except when absolutely necessary to keep up the illusion of normalcy. After two years of mourning, Audrey decides to take a road trip in hopes that it will reawaken her love for life. Road trip stories are one of my favorite genres. I love stories that involves a physical journey that mimics a spiritual one as well, and Stark's is a wonderful example of just how it should be. Her writing is lyrical and moving. In the opening chapters, Audrey's journal entries are terse and unemotional, but as she meets new people and sees the world around her, they start to flow with feelings and depth. Her writing sings on every page: I'm not brain dead, but I'm sure my heart in precariously close to a kind of death, because anything I do is such a chore. My life is one long sigh. I love that not every encounter Audrey has is full of meaning, but she chooses to learn from each one. I was reluctant to turn the final page on this book, and I look forward to reading more from the author.
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