The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers

The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
Series: a standalone
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers; Media tie-in edition (May 13, 2013)

REVIEW BY MAE CLAIR

This is a thoroughly immersive story set in the Appalachia of the 1850s. From the spot-on dialect to amazingly vivid descriptions of mist-shrouded mountains, valleys, and the thorny ties that bind a small backwoods community, Rivers paints the picture of hardscrabble living where daily life goes hand-in-hand with fear and superstition, and the regimental edicts of one man. Brogan Kai rules his valley with an iron fist, the same way his father did before him. There is no room for dissent or questioning, and certainly not for the preaching of a man of God who sets up camp by the river.

Ten-year-old Cadi Forbes passes each day under a crushing shadow of guilt, living with a sin so great—one she believes has stolen her mother’s love—she becomes convinced only one man can save her. The sin eater is an outcast, reviled and shunned, but the single person able to consume the sins of departed souls when life ends.

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“I remember the sin eater who came to our house when my mother died. He stank with the sins he’d taken on himself and wore rags like a beggar.

Francine Rivers, The Sin Eater

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Determined to be freed from sin while she lives, Cadi seeks out the sin eater to absolve her of guilt. But her journey unearths rewards she never expected when the sin eater asks her to visit the man of God and report back to him with his teachings. 

Wow! I can’t say enough about how this book touched me on multiple levels. I felt like I had stepped back in time to a world of hollows, misting falls, sun-drenched meadows, and taints.

The story is told from Cadi’s POV, but many other characters provide strong supporting roles—Cadi’s friend Fagan, a fourteen year-old-boy who finds the courage to challenge his abusive father; the wise and clever Miz Elda whose memory stretches back to the unsettling founding of the village and its hidden secrets; Bletsung MacLeod, forever true in her faithfulness to the only man who has ever held her heart despite the impossible barriers between them; Iona who surprised me (I’ll say no more); even Brogan Kai who brought darkness where there should have been light. And the sin eater himself, a complex and damaged character seeking release.

There are several buried secrets, surprises among characters, and plot threads that stack like dominos only to topple into shocking revelations in the last quarter of the book. A novel of Christian fiction, The Last Sin Eater carries a strong salvation message driven by remarkable characters. This is a story of heart and soul, redemption, and faith wrapped up as a beautiful historical novel.

If I could award more than 5 stars I would. Highly recommended!

I give The Last Sin Eater five fabulous fish!

I purchased the paperback version of The Last Sin Eater