Book Review: Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser

Title: Words Unspoken
Author: Elizabeth Musser
Publisher: Bethany House, Minneapolis
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 398
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0373-2
Genre: Christian fiction

In the eighties, a depressed high school graduate blames herself for the traffic accident that killed her mother. To recover her confidence behind the wheel, Lissa takes driving lessons. The instructor, Ev MacAllister, becomes a friend to Lissa. He helps her learn not only to drive but also to work through her grief.

Meanwhile, Lissa runs into an old acquaintance in a bookstore. Silvano is a manipulative editor who seeks the identity of a successful but reclusive author. Silvano steals the author's newest manuscript to looks for clues to S. A. Green's identity. He knows if he can discover who Green is, he can sell an interview or story to a magazine for major money.

Lissa thinks it's coincidence the author's new book is about a teen taking driving lessons. But the ensuing events cause Lissa to reconsider her assumptions.

Musser also shares threads about a grieving missionary, a divorcing socialite, a foolish broker, and the mystery author. You have to read far into the book before you begin to see how the subplots converge. If you have limited patience, you may struggle to track with the slow pacing and frequent changes in viewpoint. But if you appreciate complex stories with multiple subplots, you may like Musser's style.

Words Unspoken presents characters in various stages of spiritual development. Ev devotes himself to serving Jesus and helping others. Lissa attended Sunday school as a child, but she doesn't believe. As the story progresses, however, her relationship with Ev challenges her to read the Bible, pray, and rethink her ideas. In the end, of course, she concludes that life is not just a random string of coincidences.

Ev is an important character to the story's development, but Lissa really seems like the main character. Unfortunately, I found Ev a more compelling character than Lissa. More likeable. More interesting. More respect-worthy. I would have liked to see deeper into his life and spend less time on Lissa. But this is a matter of taste, and you may disagree.

At least, the changes in characters seem believable. Lissa doesn't evolve from skeptic to confident believer. She does, however, begin to re-evaluate her beliefs. The change occurs gradually, as it often does in real life.

While Words Unspoken may not rank among the most compelling reading I've encountered, it certainly presents an uplifting and well-thought story.

Note: Bethany House provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. An abbreviated version of this review was previously published in the October/December 2009 issue of Christian Library Journal.