Review: A Slow Burn Beautiful Story of Love!

A Slow Burn


By Mary E. DeMuth
Zondervan
ISBN: 9780310278375
362 Pages


There are some books, like A Slow Burn by Mary E. DeMuth, that speak directly to you. When that happens, it becomes memorable and is one that will be placed on your “keep” shelf, possibly to reread or refer to special friends. A Slow Burn has a number of lessons to be learned, or perhaps, as He is prone to do, God’s particular message for “you” will be what you find.

While Emory Chance is the main character, I was drawn most to Hixon and his role in the book. Although I don’t normally find that race is an important factor in a book, I think it was for this novel. Hixon is a Black handyman. He loves God and talks with Him often. The thing is—God has told him that Emory Chance was going to be his wife. Not only was it hard to believe because he thought she was so beautiful and he just a handyman with little to give her, but he knew that his being Black was something that those in Defiance would find hard to accept.

Yet he felt His message had been clear. And he quietly went about doing small jobs for Emory and being there when she might need him. Just waiting until God gave him further guidance.

Emory was beautiful, yes, but she was also a drunk and a druggie. In fact, her daughter, Daisy, was more mature and did more to take care of her mother rather than what it should have been—Emory taking care of Daisy.

And then Daisy was gone—murdered!

Emory was lost without her daughter. Not only because she loved her but because Daisy had been the one good thing in her life and had constantly tried to help Emory. Now, Emory was forced to face the fact that she had been zoned out while her daughter had been taken; she knew she had to carry some of the responsibility for Daisy’s death. And it was tearing her apart.

When she could, she would try to stay off the drugs; even Hixon was trying to help her get clean. Then her guilt would surface and she’d turn to the drugs to help her forget. Or her supplier would come by and give her some samples, wanting to party and have a good time... Then, too, someone, perhaps the one who murdered Daisy, was playing tricks—stealing things and putting them back, etc. It seemed Emory was doomed to stay on the drugs!

DeMuth has created a wonderful cast of characters, merging racial differences in such a way that you know those differences mean little in the scheme of things. Some quietly bring food to Emory, her boss cares for and gives her time when she needed it and, because of Hixon and God’s promise, she was being provided a home for her future. God surely does work in mysterious ways!

I won’t say that I enjoyed the ending. However, A Slow Burn by Mary E. DeMuth is a beautiful story of love, forgiveness and redemption like no other. DeMuth certainly writes to explain clearly that God does indeed have a personal plan for us and that He takes personal interest to ensure His children come home to Him! An amazing story that must be read!

G. A. Bixler
For Amazon Vine