From Goodreads: "This story will take you back in time to the south when races were segregated and interacting with the opposite race brought on unimaginable consequences. [...] I will say that not reading this book is an injustice to yourself (READ IT!!). It is beautifully written and I can't wait to see what Mrs. Westall has in store for us next. "
Ruby Graves, a young girl in Depression-era Alabama, faces the hardships of poverty and loss with as much faith as she can muster. At only the age of thirteen, she’s already lost a younger brother to illness, and now faces losing both her father and the boy who’s stealing her heart to illnesses as well. Armed with her beloved Scriptures, she prays daily for their healing, only to have her tender faith shattered by her father’s death.
Through her pain, she’s able to connect with her long-lost Uncle Asa, who’s mere presence at his brother’s funeral brings murmurs of a scandalous past involving her parents and a prominent local pastor, Irwin Cass. When Ruby discovers that one of Asa’a many secrets is an ability to heal, and that she may be next in line for the “gift,” she vows to find the faith that has eluded her so far, a faith that could mean never losing loved ones again.
But faith and doubt can’t reside in the same heart, not according to her father, and doubt is Ruby’s constant companion. As she struggles to find the true meaning of faith, she’s opposed at every turn by the pastor who would see her family destroyed and a community that can’t see deeper than the color of one’s skin. Through her search for a faith that could move mountains and a true understanding of her gift, can Ruby trust in a God that may require the ultimate sacrifice?
“A fast-paced story that will leave readers wondering what’s next for Ruby Graves. This soulful, often poignant novel explores difficult subjects such as death, racism and religious hypocrisy, while still remaining hopeful. One of its greatest strengths is its cast of well-drawn secondary characters, including the…vengeful preacher who tries to thwart Ruby at every turn. Ruby’s unlikely friendship with a cast-out African-American woman and her child is a particularly bright spot in this often heavy novel.” - Kirkus Reviews
GUEST POST
Faith Healing: What Do You Believe?
In Healing Ruby, I took on the subject of faith healing in a way that I had never considered before, and it challenged my beliefs so many times. Growing up my entire life in a Christian home, with many experiences that have confirmed my faith, I thought I had a clear understanding of healing. Though I haven’t ever been witness to anything miraculous myself, I know people close to me who have, and it’s changed them forever. But I never bought into the more dramatic scenes of healing I’d witnessed on numerous television shows. In fact, I was so turned off by the blatant schemes of televangelists to use the lure of healing to get money from suffering people, I was reluctant to even incorporate the idea into my story.
So when a family member told me that my own grandmother was able to heal, it shook me for a while. I couldn’t fathom my strong, conservative grandmother dabbling in anything so mysterious, especially when there were so many secrets surrounding it. But the more I questioned my dad and his sisters, the more I realized that I’d never truly known my grandmother.
And maybe I had never truly understood healing.
Amazingly, each time I struggled with my understanding, God put people in my path that pointed me in the right direction. He gave me a dad who over and over has opened the Scriptures up to me to reveal something I’d never seen before. He led me to churches at just the right time to hear the exact message I needed to show me what He wanted me to see.
And in trying to get to the bottom of all this, I realized that though I don’t understand all the details of how this gift manifested itself, I know in my heart it was real. And in the end, after walking this journey with Ruby, I hope you’ll be able to answer that for yourself as well. What do you truly believe in? Do miracles still happen?
About the author:
Jennifer Westall dives into Christian characters to explore her own questions of faith. Inspired by the life of her grandmother, Healing Ruby(2014) is the first in the Healing Ruby series, which delves into the mysteries of faith healing. She’s also the author of Love’s Providence (2012), a contemporary Christian romance that navigates the minefield of dating and temptation.
She resides in southwest Texas with her husband and two boys, where she homeschools by day and writes by night, thus explaining those pesky bags under her eyes.
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