Thicker than Blood

Darlington, a debut author and winner of the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest, enters the evangelical Christian publishing arena with a story that deals in antique bookselling and unresolved interpersonal relationships. Orphaned sisters Christy and May Williams have chosen very different paths after the sudden death of their parents 15 years earlier. Christy retreats into alcohol and abusive relationships, while younger sister May tries her hand at running a ranch. When the death of a close relative brings the two estranged sisters together, internal pain resurfaces that cannot be ignored by either one. Slowly, amid violence and false accusations, Christy moves toward May, emotionally and spiritually, as both young women discover the possibility of second chances. Darlington's setting in the fascinating world of antiquarian bookselling is clever; unfortunately much of the story is too formulaic to provide what could have been a compelling reading excursion. (Jan.)