Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar

★★★★★
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Before Christ called her daughter...

Before she stole healing by touching the hem of his garment...

Elianna is a young girl crushed by guilt. After her only brother is killed while in her care, Elianna tries to earn forgiveness by working for her father’s textile trade and caring for her family. When another tragedy places Elianna in sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings enormous success, but never the absolution she longs for. As her world unravels, she breaks off her betrothal to the only man she will ever love. Then illness strikes, isolating Elianna from everyone, stripping everything she has left.

No physician can cure her. No end is in sight. Until she hears whispers of a man whose mere touch can heal. After so many years of suffering and disappointment, is it possible that one man could redeem the wounds of body...and soul?

Every book I have read by Tessa Afshar has fascinated me, and Land of Silence is no exception. With her talent for storytelling and attention to historical detail, Afshar provides depth and perspective in this emotionally-gripping novel to the story of a woman miraculously healed by Jesus. Land of Silence is one book that any fan of biblical fiction should read.

A teenaged girl growing up in Jerusalem, Elianna is bright, creative, and stubborn and looks forward to a promising future - until circumstance after tragic circumstance leaves her burdened with guilt, shame, and loneliness. Her life, full of suffering and loss, seems heartbreaking and hopeless at times, but then leads her to ultimately and beautifully to lessons of faith, forgiveness, and love.

A well-told and riveting portrayal of a biblical woman, Land of Silence is not a book that disappoints its readers. I really loved it - when I started reading it, I couldn’t bring myself to stop - and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Tyndale BlogNetwork, I received a copy of Land of Silence and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.