My Review - Center of Gravity

5 out of 5 stars

A BOOK THAT BREAKS BOUNDARIES!

Disclaimer: Though published by Thomas Nelson, CENTER OF GRAVITY is not what I would consider a Christian novel. Blue language is used throughout the book and could prove to be a stumbling block to more conservative readers. Also, I never got the impression any of the main characters had a relationship with God. It could’ve been in there, but it wasn’t strong enough for me to understand the character’s belief systems. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the non-traditional style of Laura McNeill.

Ava Carson’s life is being turned upside down. Though the life she’s led with her husband, Mitchell Carson, has not turned out the way she expected, nothing prepares Ava for the shocking path Mitchell takes to erase her from his life and the life of their children. The power her husband wields and the deceptions he orchestrates to paint Ava as an unfit mother, convinces her Mitchell is dangerous and she has to do something to protect their two young boys. Hiring Graham Thomas as her attorney is a step in the right direction, but when Mitchell’s behavior escalates to violent proportions, she realizes he will stop at nothing to have his way. When Ava digs into her husband’s history—hoping to find skeletons to use against him in a custody battle—she is devastated to find out everything she thought she ever knew about her husband is a lie. A lie fabricated by a very dangerous man.

CENTER OF GRAVITY is gripping. It pulls you in with a magnetism that won’t let go. I thought the unorthodox first-person writing style was going to be an obstacle for me, but it only fueled my desire to continue reading and understand the next person’s point of view. Following up on my disclaimer regarding language, I felt at times the language choices were not needed. Though I am an advocate for breaking the barriers that seem to pigeonhole some Christian writers and Christian publishing houses—and have been a vocal proponent for more realism in Christian fiction, especially where the use of language is concerned—even I felt some of the language choices were unnecessary in furthering the story along. But overall, I congratulate both Laura McNeill and Nelson Thomas for taking that bold step. Maybe it will open the door to other Christian authors like myself who don’t want to sanitize their stories just for the sake of a publishing deal.