The Esther Paradigm

“A smile must first originate in the heart and take root before the harvest of joy in the windows to the soul.”

What an incredibly powerful and moving story! This is the first full-length novel I’ve read by Sarah Monzon and now I understand why so many bloggers, reviewers, and readers alike love her books. The book is well-written, the plot and events believable though the book occurs in a land unfamiliar to me, the storyline is intricately but tightly woven together, the characters are AMAZING, and Hannah and her family’s faith that propels them to love the Muslim nomads in the middle of the desert is truly inspiring.

The book is written in first person narrative, which isn’t my favorite. I start reading books without having read reviews of the books so I’m always taken aback somewhat when I open the first page and realize it’s written in first person. However, it took probably the first two pages of the book for me to become totally engrossed in the story. It couldn’t have been written any other way.
Karim’s voice is so lyrical and poetic. It’s a bit more formal than Hannah’s voice and I really enjoyed the subtle differences in their voices throughout the book. He’s the sheikh of a nomadic clan with the weight of the world on his shoulders as he seeks to lead his people through disasters upon disasters. Karim says about Hannah – “she brought life, the blue of the water my people spend their whole lives searching for. That was the treasure I’d always hold dear.” Wow. How swoon-worthy is that?

Hannah is a dear. She’s so full of life, love for Jesus, love and compassion for others, zest for teaching and learning, yet feels unworthy when compared to others and her insecurities are heavy weights on her soul. For reasons other than burning love, Hannah agrees to marry her long-time friend Karim, an unequally yoked marriage that everyone, on both sides, protests. They must battle together threats to their clan and uncertainties and insecurities that threaten their budding and fragile marriage.

And there is a healthy dose of humor in this book which keeps things light in an otherwise heavy-themed book. This particular comment from Karim made me laugh out loud – “My wife measures me, studies me in silence as she paints my face like an artist, and when she makes a sound, it is weighted with despair.” Karim’s eyes opened and pinned mine. His lip twitched, then fell back flat. “My pride is pierced that your breath does not leave you on the wings of a dreamful lightness. Is my face not so comely as to make you swoon?”

The secondary characters like Hannah’s parents and Karim’s friends whom we meet along the way are also wonderful and help to hold up the plot well.

The book brings to light so many themes – difficulty of starting a marriage no matter how long you’ve known each other; the love and sense of belonging that all desire regardless of culture, race, language, or religion; the tireless work of the Christians living and working and loving amongst the unreached people to show them the love of Christ; what it means to be a fruitful tree and not a barren one. I’m still ruminating on these themes, hours after having put the book down.

I received a copy of the book through Singing Librarian Books Tour. I was not required to give a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of the best I’ve read in a while.

Loved this book! You can’t help but love the characters and the story. Light and happy read for Christian genre.

Great read!!!

Very insightful! Interesting story about a culture I didn’t know much about. However I was in North Africa when I was a young girl and almost got lost in the “Kasbah” in Algiers. It felt very authentic. The writer made you feel like you were there.

First off, let me say, “Get a load of that cover!” I don’t know what it is exactly about it, but I love it. It’s just so pretty and eye catching to me!

As Sarah Monzon tends to do with her writing, The Esther Paradigm is filled with amazing imagery that takes you straight to the scene, feeling the burning sand beneath your sandals and the heat pressing in against you. Beyond the scene that is set, the story has a very interesting premise in that it is modeled after the story of Esther in the Bible.

I’ll start with some of my reservations about the story and end with the things I loved. By the way, there may be what some would consider to be some spoilery (yes, I made that word up) type things in this review.

At the beginning of the book, groundwork has to be laid in a way that leads to Hannah, the female lead and a Christian, saying yes to marrying a man who is not a Christian. He is not only not a Christian, but is a religious Muslim, though not in the jihadist sense. This part of the book gave me pause. Hannah makes such a decision a little too quickly and without enough consideration, in my opinion. I understand that the decision must be made to lead to what needs to happen in the book, but it was still troublesome to see a Christian so easily and quickly make the decision to marry a non Christian. I wish this part had been developed a little further, showing Hannah agonizing over such a serious decision a bit more. And though, I know it had to happen for the storyline, it was still unsettling to see her marry a non Christian.

In my reservations, I must also mention that I was not overly fond of Hannah as the book progressed. When she is first introduced, I liked her character, but it felt like after she married Karim, she suddenly became very insecure whereas up to that point she had seemed confident. There is a particular scene and point in the couple’s relationship after they get married that was frustrating to me to see unfold. Hannah refuses to do something that she needs to do and Karim coaxes and pleads and tries to go about gently helping her see the need to do what must be done, but she, very childishly, will have nothing to do with it. This leads to some hurtful things being said by Karim. While what is said is indeed hurtful and should not have been said, I honestly felt more frustration with Hannah over the situation than I did Karim. He tried so hard to be so careful about how he approached her about it and she just wouldn’t listen to wisdom, insisting on foolish behavior that could very well have resulted in a detrimental situation to her.

I also did not enjoy Hannah’s tendency to be so caught up in her insecurity—so much so that she couldn’t see beyond it at times to truly see how much is weighing on her husband’s shoulders and how her own behavior toward him is not helping that weight to be lifted and is causing him unneeded grief. There were times it felt to me as though she was not really invested in knowing what her husband was facing, in what he was dealing with, and in supporting him. She is just seemed so unaware of anything beyond her own struggle and insecurity at times.

Nor did I like how she refused to communicate with him at times. She wanted to stick her head in the sand and not talk about or deal with her problems with Karim. I will be honest here and say that I do not do well with characters who refuse to communicate or who refuse to face their problems. You could probably say it is a personal pet peeve of mine. No marriage or really any other type of relationship will last long when someone behaves as Hannah did for a good portion of the book. I will say that Hannah had begun to change by the end of the book. I think I just wished for more change, a little sooner.

Okay, enough with all that. Moving on to the good stuff! As I said before, Ms. Monzon has a way with words in laying out the setting of a book in such a way that takes you there. The Esther Paradigm is no exception. I really appreciate this aspect of her writing. Many times an author tries to set the scene, but it just feels like drudgery reading through the descriptive parts of the book. Not so with Ms. Monzon’s work.

I really liked Karim—his leadership abilities, his confidence, his care and concern for his people. You can feel the struggle and the battle with him as he worries over the future of his people. He truly had the heart of a king who loves his people. I loved his care for Hannah as well and how they were friends before, that they had known each other as children and had a connection even then. He treats Hannah with such care and tenderness. He is a swoon worthy hero in many ways.

I appreciated Hannah’s family’s long term ministry among the tribe. I believe it could be seen as an example of what Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. I love how they lived among these people, helping them medically and in as many other ways as they could, while living out the love of Christ before them. They did so in such away that respected the people while also not swaying in their own belief in God, in Jesus, the Messiah. They became a part of the people as much as they could (without turning from God) to witness to these people, respecting them by respecting their culture. This can be a tricky thing to do, but I believe it was done well in many ways in this book.

I know Ms. Monzon must have done a lot of research to show the tribe’s culture the way that she did. And she did a lovely job of setting the scene of their culture and way of life. I very much enjoyed the wedding preparation scenes and the joy and revelry portrayed and I appreciated the glimpses into the ways and workings of the nomadic tribe.

I also enjoyed the dual point of view, going back and forth between Hannah’s and Karim’s minds. I like having that extra insight into seeing how they are perceiving what’s happening around them. And while Hannah was not always my favorite character as mentioned above, I did enjoy the romance between her and Karim.

While I did have some reservations about some things and what could be termed as pet peeves here and there, overall, I enjoyed the journey and the story of The Esther Paradigm.

**I received a copy of this book from the author and have chosen to review it. My opinions are my own.

Esther is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. She is an example of courage and bravery when she chooses to sacrifice her wants for the safety of her people. So when I found out The Esther Paradigm by Sarah Monzon was a modern day re-telling, I knew that I’d have to pick this up.

This book is incredibly captivating! I found it impossible to put the book down once I began reading. Sarah Monzon creates characters that are unique and creative while making them her own. While I’ve never found myself crossing deserts, dealing with scorpions or other hidden dangers, the author gave us a setting that leaps right off the pages. Readers will feel as if they can feel the sand for themselves.

Hannah and her parents are missionaries to the Bedouin people. Now, we’re in a country where Christianity is illegal. Hannah has just returned to the clan she claims as her own after earning her degree in the United States. She has a heart and passion to teach the clan to read, write, and about Jesus. However, she is surprised when she learns that the hostility has grown quite fiercely while she’s been away and that even some of the clan members resent her family.

One of my favorite things about Hannah was her faith. Just like you and I, she struggles in her faith, but she never gives up hope. She continues to look towards God and shares her faith, even if it puts her danger. Sometimes as Americans, we give up too quickly. So it was a great reminder to watch a character not give up and to continue to show that God is so much bigger despite the danger.

So with all of that being said, I LOVED this! I highly recommend it because it is such an eye opener and caused me to reevaluate my walk with God. This is a book that shows how much bigger God is than our circumstances. It causes one to stop and think about whether or not we would still choose to live for God when we’re thrown into danger. Many Christians will tell you yes, but is that truly the case if you actually were placed in that spot? I found myself asking this very question as well as other places in my life. This book is one that drawn me closer to God and is a great reminder that God is still doing so many amazing things and is at work today even if we don’t always see it. If you’re reading this, I highly encourage you to purchase a copy today.

Highly recommended!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have never visited the desert, or ridden a camel. However, through the pages of this book, I feel like I have. This story is unlike any you’ve read before. From the hidden dangers of scorpions, the powerful sandstorms, and a culture that I’ve only glimpsed of on TV and pictures. Sarah bring the flat, fuzzy images into a focus so vivid and real, that you will feel you that you have stepped into the pages of her book. Come along for an adventure, and learn about a culture many know little about. It won’t take long to find yourself fully immersed in this amazing story. You may even feel like you need to brush the sand off after you finish reading.

Hannah and her parents are missionaries to the Bedouin people. In a region where sharing your faith is illegal. Hannah has always had a heart for the people, and for teaching. After spending several years back in the United States getting her teaching degree she returns to open a school in the clan that she grew up with and the people she considers her community. She has a strong desire to teach the children how to read and write and to shine the light of Jesus. She didn’t expect to find that hostilities have grown since she left and that some in the clan even resent her and her families presence.

Karim Al-Amir is the sheikh, the leader of his people. He carries the heavy burden of leadership and wants to mend the rift that has come between his clan and his missionary friends. As children, Karim & Hannah raced camels and played together. Then she was sent to the United States to finish her schooling and returns amid the clan facing a disturbing problem with the health of their sheep, and the rising tensions against the Missionary family.

I give this fabulous story 5 stars and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading stories about other cultures and also those who enjoy missionary stories. Your mind will be stretched and your understanding of the Muslim culture broadened. This book reminds us that we are all called to share the gospel and that even when our very lives are at risk, we must not stop talking about God and allowing his light to shine through our lives.

(I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)