Promises to Keep

Who hasn’t made a promise that they intended to keep?

In Ann Tatlock’s Promises to Keep there are plenty promises made. A mother promises to protect her children, an old lady promises to die in the home she and her husband built, an abusive father promises to get his family back, two girls promise to pray until they are reunited with their fathers. The problem is each of these promises collide with the promises made by another. Through the eyes of 11 year old Roz, readers are taken along a winding road of naïve trust, laughter, loss, love, and reclaimed faith.

Fresh on the hills of striving to start a new life after escaping her abusive marriage, Janis Anthony finds herself dealing with an unexpected and repeated visitor, Tillie Monroe, who has come to reclaim her home and fulfill her last promise. Tillie, an old folks home escapee, persistence and presence turns out to be a disguised blessing for Janis and her three children. By far, my favorite character was Tillie with her quick wit.

As a first time reader of Ms. Tatlock’s work, I was pleasantly pleased by her characters and writing style and look forward to reading more of her books. According to the author, God as father and discernment are the two central themes. She points out, “Not everything we think we want in this life is God’s best for us. Some dreams only weigh us down; it’s when we let go of those dreams that we begin to soar. We need to be wise and discerning, trusting God the Father to fill our lives with all that He has deemed good and beneficial.”

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Bethany House Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

To read an excerpt, click here