Off the Bookshelf: EVERY GOOD & PERFECT GIFT, by Sharon Souza

Book exchanges can be gold mines when it comes to finding new books. This one, EVERY GOOD & PERFECT GIFT, came from a book exchange at least two years ago with my ACFW group. These were books that fellow authors had read and knew they weren't going to read again, so they were passing them along. So there was a little bit of a recommendation. At least, that was assumed.

Then again, in my case, I had judged a humongous published book contest and I had about 500 books to get out of my living room! Some were keepers, some were irritating, some were just plain weird.

I've had this book sitting on my shelf since then, waiting patiently to be taken off the big to-be-read rack and put into the smaller, "I'm gonna read these books this month" pile on my bedside table. Worth the wait.

DeeDee and Gabby, one the subject of the book, the other the narrator, have been friends since childhood. They went through school together, college, married best friends and business partners, and now they're approaching 40 ... and DeeDee decides she wants to have a baby after all. The trials and tribulations and frustration they go through together would make a fun, sometimes painful, satisfying book, but Souza adds another twist to the story. At the cusp of happiness, when life is beautiful, DeeDee starts a downward spiral, and the pain and frustration and spiritual questions turn this most definitely into Gabby's story.

True friendship, through joy and pain, triumph and loss. I kind of suspected there were personal elements inserted into the story, because it rang so true and deep, and a note on the back of the book confirmed it. I applaud the author for her bravery, in sharing such depths from her life.