What I’ve discovered about Karen is that she writes with heart and soul! There’s never too much or too little detail, emotion, heart-break, frustration and romance. It’s like a recipe to which she knows the exact proportion of ingredients. It’s like a movie in my imagination….
Even Now had me hooked with-in the first few chapters. Shane and Lauren have been best friends since school and over the years have had it blossom into something deeper and more promising. However when Lauren finds herself pregnant, both their worlds are tipped upside down! Their parents, who used to be best friends, decided, in the best interest of their child, to separate the two by moving house. Feuding erupted but Shane and Lauren did everything in their strength to stay together – even to the extreme of getting engaged. Yet as neither were legally adults, their actions and desires were meaningless! Lauren kept the baby, however circumstances made her run away from home and begin life again – she died with the death of her child, Emily. Years later, Shane and Lauren are reunited, however neither are the same person they used to be. As the war in Afghanistan wages on, they find themselves sitting at either end of the political spectrum. What they’ve experienced has changed them! Except for the love and passion that still courses their veins for the other. But the past catches up to them, and they are faced with having to deal with issues left unsaid, as well as arising family issues.
I was angry and frustrated at the naivety of Lauren and Shane’s parents. How dare they be so selfish to ignore their children’s desires! How dare they go and destroy the livelihood of their children! This melted into sympathy for Shane and Lauren. Their love was real. Their attraction was burning and when they were separated, they were half a person.
The main topic of discussion in Even Now is faith. Over the years, Shane developed a deep and personal relationship with God, which translates into everything he does. The blind and trusting faith is what gives prayer their answers. Maybe not immediately, but when God permits it to. This for me, was refreshing to read about, encouraging me more in my faith. God promises that prayer will always be answered, which is true if we just believe and trust that he will deliver. Faith – that’s the key and the whole essence of Even Now.
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