In Mary Ellis's Abigail's New Hope, the first seconds of Abraham Fisher's life change Amish midwife, Abigail Graber, forever. When an attempt to deliver Abraham safely leads to the death of his mother, Ruth Fisher, Abigail is suddenly locked in jail with multiple charges -- including practicing midwifery without a license. Now, as her husband Daniel and two kids, Jake and Laura, are left to fend for themselves, it is Catherine, Abigail's sister, who is led to make the discovery of a lifetime.
It is the relationship between Daniel's cousin, Isaiah, a man often mistaken for being simple-minded, and Catherine that tugs at the hearts of readers. Although Abigail must learn of both sin and forgiveness from a jail cell, and Nathan Fisher is left to rear baby Abraham on his own, starting the child's life on a rough note, it is the communication between Isaiah and Catherine that keeps the readers desperately aching for more. Not only is Catherine quick to learn that Isaiah is deaf, but also that he is brilliant in spite of it, leading to an overall message that ensures our faith in God's love despite our imperfections.
With a character such as Abigail, we are reminded as Christians that our view of what is right does not always run parallel to God's. Despite her earnest attempt to save a newborn's life, she is still charged with a felony, proving that the law stands firm for the complete Amish community, similar to how judgment of sin stands firm for all Christians.
Although the tone of Ellis's writing makes the storyline easy to follow, it is the Amish language sprinkled throughout the pages that is a constant struggle. Simple words such as "daed" and "danki" can be easily solved with the help of context, but even under those conditions, the remainder of the terminology will have readers wishing for a vocabulary lesson. The characters as a whole, however, experience a variety of honest emotions, causing them to be easily relatable.
Aside from the familiar setting of most Amish novels, Abigail's New Hope will have readers feeling refreshed with the variety of plots unraveling in both the Graber and Fisher families. With a recommendation to readers who regularly enjoy Amish fiction, Abigail's New Hope is the first book of a developing series. Caitlin M. Vukorpa, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
