MOVING BEYOND UNCERTAINTY -- A REVIEW

Kate Dalton's job running a women's shelter brings moments of fear, drama, and sometimes scrutiny.

When a battered wife's ex-husband shows up one day, wielding a knife and threatening both of their lives, the outcome jeopardizes not only Kate's livelihood, but her whole way of life.

Turning away from this life, she strikes out, heading from Arkansas to the West...Far away from everything repugnant about the job and hoping to discover something new. But a stopover in Grassy Ridge, Oklahoma, at the request of the battered wife Amanda Blake, leads to an unexpected detour of another kind. Amanda's plea that Kate take her son with her arouses the kind of angst Kate has always tried to avoid. Connections.

So as she leaves Grassy Ridge with Amanda's ten-year-old son Way-Ray in tow, Kate is very uncertain of what the future holds. But upon her arrival on the coast of Oregon, events unfold and anchor Kate and Way-Ray to a new community and new dreams.

An Uncertain Refuge is one of those stories full of suspense, emotion, and the kind of hope for the future that often clings to each of us as we chart our courses in life. I loved the poignancy of this story of battered bodies and souls; I enjoyed Kate's dilemma, as she struggled against the constant childhood tapes playing out in her head, warning against risks; and I was totally captivated by how the growing bond between Kate and Way-Ray catapulted her into the kind of life and connections she had always feared. Sometimes what we fear the most is just what we need.

I highly recommend this story for anyone who loves the unexpected discoveries in life that come from a place of uncertainty and fear. It's a story for those who dream of righting life's wrongs...and moving beyond to a place of refuge. Five stars.