From the first sentence until the last, Daisy Chain engages you and pulls you deeper into Defiance, Texas and the mysterious events of that hot summer thirty years past.

DeMuth’s words are exceptionally evocative, allowing the book to play like a movie across the screen of your mind. Admittedly, some of the content is not comfortable to read, much less envision. When you think of a lazy summer day – especially in the late 70’s -- most of us were not contending with issues as difficult as those presented in Daisy Chain. However, these struggles occur far too often in real life and are frequently treated as the “elephant in the room” – especially within the context of Christian homes.

DeMuth does an excellent job of exposing this “elephant” and while other reviewers are lambasting her for not presenting enough redemption and hope, I say they should withhold judgment. Life is not like a sitcom. It does not always reach a suitable conclusion within a thirty minute timeframe. And a single book does not a trilogy make. Said reviewers should remember that this is BOOK ONE of a three-part story. The author has merely parted the clouds to let us view the storm roiling within Defiance and the hearts of her characters.

(OK . . . I’ll climb down off my soapbox now :o) and return you to our review.)

Back to Book One: I believe that redemption and hope are woven throughout this story. They show up where you least expect, clothed in garb that makes them hard to recognize for what they are. Bear in mind that light shines brightest in the darkness. In the considerable darkness of Defiance, Texas and the Pepper family, I have a feeling that light is about to break forth. I anxiously await the next two installments of the series and the conclusion of this trilogy.

Let’s take a look at what Daisy Chain is all about:

The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1977 spins three lives out of control-Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter’s demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis.
In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He’s convinced it’s his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed’s pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he’s been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom.

Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story crafted by a bright new literary talent. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God’s surprising redemption.

About the Author:

In my previous post, I featured a little Q & A with Mary DeMuth regarding her newest book, Daisy Chain.

Mary DeMuth is an expert in the field of Pioneer Parenting. She helps Christian parents plow fresh spiritual ground, especially those seeking to break destructive family patterns. Her message guides parents who don’t want to duplicate the home where they were raised or didn’t have positive parenting role models growing up.

An accomplished writer, Mary’s parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, Building the Christian Family You Never Had, and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God. Her real-to-life novels inspire people to turn trials into triumphs: Watching the Tree Limbs (2007 Christy Award finalist, ACFW Book of the Year 2nd Place) and Wishing on Dandelions (2007 Retailer’s Choice Award finalist).

Mary is a frequent speaker at women’s retreats and parenting seminars, addressing audiences in both Europe and the United States. National media regularly seek Mary’s candid ability to connect with their listeners. Her radio appearances include FamilyLife Today, Moody Midday Connection, and U.S.A. Radio network. She also has articles published in Marriage Partnership, In Touch, and HomeLife.

As pioneer parents, Mary and her husband Patrick live in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France where they planted a church.

Learn more about Mary at http://blog.myfamilysecrets.org/.

My Personal Take on Daisy Chain:

For those of you who have made it this far in the review, I wanted to include a little aside, in the form of a confession. You see, I knew better than to get involved with something like Daisy Chain. Typically I read series after at least two books have been published. That way I don’t have the pain of waiting on the next installment. I don’t lie awake at night daydreaming about the characters, wondering how they are and what life has held for them since last we interacted. I’ve guarded myself against this for quite some time.

But I let my guard down with Daisy Chain and now it’s firmly entrenched in my heart and mind. I long to check in on Jed and Sissy, to see if someone finally gave Hap what he deserved, and to make sure Hixon and Muriel are OK. I want – no I NEED – to know the rest of the story.

Truthfully, I’ve not felt like this in many years about a piece of literature. For many years, I’d given up on Christian fiction books and only recently have started exploring more of them. It’s not that I was such a great writer (this post is proof positive of that); it’s just that I was exposed to such great literature and was a connoisseur of it before becoming a Christian. In my mind, Mary DeMuth has joined the likes of Francine Rivers, Brock and Bodie Thoene, Angela Elwell Hunt, and Susan Meissner as authors worthy of accolades in the Christian fiction genre.

I eagerly await my next trip to Defiance. I can’t wait to peer into the lives of the characters again. I am anxious to hear the story unfold as DeMuth delivers what I’m sure will be another compelling and excruciatingly beautiful novel.

Get a Copy for Yourself

I know you want a copy for yourself. Order from Amazon by clicking the link below.

I’m looking forward to posting a review of Mary DeMuth’s newest book: Daisy Chain. It’s an exceptional book that I’m sure you will love. 

First, I wanted to introduce you to Mary and provide you with a ‘teaser’ of what’s to come.

Where to find Mary:

Mary DeMuth’s Website
Mary DeMuth’s Blog
Mary DeMuth’s Facebook Profile
Follow Mary DeMuth on Twitter

A little Q&A with the Author:

Where did you get the idea for the book?
I had a friend who shared a difficult story with me. He grew up in a Christian home. His father was in leadership in the Christian community. From the outside, all looked perfect. But behind closed doors, life was very, very hard. I wanted to expose that kind of abuse. That’s why the idea of family secrets plays heavily into all three books of the Defiance, Texas trilogy.

What are the major themes of the book?
The importance (and elusiveness) of authenticity.
The devastation of maintaining and keeping family secrets.
Redemption comes from surprising people.
Feeling guilty doesn’t always equal reality.
True friendship involves sacrifice.

What kind of research did you have to do for the book?
Having lived in East Texas for two years, I absorbed a lot of the geography and colloquialisms of the area. A lot of my research happened as I wrote. I also researched battered wives and police procedure (Thanks Officer Woodruff).

With which character do you identify most and why?
In high school, I was a lot like Hixon, living on the margins of life in some ways because I was so flat-out in love with Jesus. I wanted to share Him everywhere, and my speech was peppered with Jesusisms. But like Hixon, I also had another side to me, one I hid. Learning to be honest with myself and others about my own shortcomings—and, oh, they are aplenty—has made me a better Christ-follower in the long run. It’s not about appearing holy. It’s about being holy from the inside out. The only route to that kind of abundance is honest, excruciating disclosure with trusted friends and the God who sees it all.

What do you hope to accomplish with this book?
I liken this book to an Oprah book, but with hope. Yes, there is darkness and meanness abounding in this world, but God’s light has a way of fully penetrating that darkness. I hope Daisy Chain cradles the reader through its deep, scary journey clear through to the end because redemption will shine brighter in the midst of darkness. That’s my own personal testimony, so it can’t help but leak out on the page.

My hope is that folks will see the need to share their family secrets in order to be set free. (A cool place to share your family secrets anonymously is http://blog.myfamilysecrets.org). I also want people to see that the Body of Christ is probably much different looking than they first thought. Some appear holy. Others, in distressing disguises, actually are.

Daisy Chain’s first page:

How’s this for a teaser: the first page of Daisy Chain:

It had been thirty roller-coaster years since Daisy Marie Chance forced fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper to fall in love with her. He’d obliged her, dizzied at the thought ever since. It had been that long before Jed could walk through the ruins of Crooked Creek Church, a butterfly flitting a prophecy he never could believe, even today. It was Daisy’s singsong words that gave the butterfly its bewitching manner, those same words that strangled him with newfound love. For years, he wished he’d had an Instamatic camera to capture the moment he fell for Daisy, but then entropy would’ve had its way, fading and creasing Daisy’s face until she’d have looked like an overloved newspaper recipe, wrinkled and unreadable.Thing was, he could always read Daisy’s face. Even then. She’d looked at him square in the eyes that day in 1977, in the exact same spot he stood now, and declared, “Your family ain’t normal, Jed.” And because lies came easy to him, he’d thought, of course my family’s normal. Anyone with eyes could see that. Daisy said a lot of words, being a thirteen-year-old girl and all, but these didn’t make much sense.

Thirty years later they did. They screamed the truth through the empty field where the church used to creak in the wind.

For a hesitant moment, enshrined in the ruins of his childhood, Jed was fourteen again. Filled to the brim with testosterone and pestered by an orange and black tormenter and Daisy’s oh-so-true words.

“Your family ain’t normal, Jed.”

He watched the butterfly loop above the organ, never landing, like it had a thing against church music. Or maybe dust.

He sat on a rickety pew.

“Jed?”

He clasped his hands around his ears, hoping Daisy’s words would run away. He hummed “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

She put her nose right in front of his. He felt her breathing, smelled her Juicy Fruit breath. “You in there?”

He swatted the air between them, hoping she’d disappear. “Yeah. Quit bothering me.” He looked at his watch. Six fifteen. Time to go.

“But your face.” Daisy sat down a Bible’s throw away.

Jed touched his swollen eye. “Yeah? So? What about it?”

“It looks like it hurts.” Daisy scooted closer. She reached her arm his direction.

He inched away.

That’s right! You can ask them anything … and they’ll answer. Too bad I’m not talking about the now defunct Soviet Intelligence Agency (now that would be cool). The KGB I’m referring to is the Knowledge Generation Bureau – a service that will answer any question you have via text.

I was privileged to get a week-long trial of KGB and the service came in handy a few times. You see, I’m not one that is willing to pay an arm and a leg for an all access web plan on my phone. Heck, I’m just thankful to have a small texting plan. Obviously, the lack of techie goodness on my phone severely limits my options for finding info on the go. Enter a service like KGB.

They specialize in helping those, like me, who only have text or pay as you go internet access on their phones. It works like this: you text a question to 542542 and then one of their Special Agents researches the answers and texts you back.

During the week of my free trial, I asked multiple questions and always received a quick, accurate response (average response time from text to receipt of answer was 4 minutes). My favorite part is that they just don’t give perfunctory answers. Most times the Special Agent would expound on the answer or include some interesting trivia regarding the subject as well.

How does this pertain to Literary Discoveries?

Ever been in a conversation with someone and can’t remember an author’s name? What about a heated discussion about who top the NYT Best Seller’s list last week? KGB can solve even the most difficult literary conundrum, and you just might learn a thing or two along the way.

Best Practices:

According to one of the employees at KGB, here are some helpful tips if you choose to use the service:

Be VERY specific. Your phone isn’t a GPS unit or a guide to who you are, so if you want to know “Where is the nearest such-and-such?” you need to tell the Special Agent where you are. Or if you wanted to know, “How long does it take to get from A to B?” you’d need to specify your mode of transportation. The Special Agents only answer the question you asked, so if you wanted to know how long it took to fly somewhere, but you also wanted a suggestion of airlines, ask something like “How long does it take to fly to Tokyo, Japan from Salt Lake City and which airline can get me there under $1500 roundtrip?” However, it can be really fun to ask KGB subjective questions to see what comes back. One blogger recently wrote that she asked "Should I wear my red dress or my blue dress tonight?" and they replied "Blue. Studies show that the color blue makes you look confident and makes others more comfortable around you."

The Nitty Gritty:

Of course, there’s a fee involved. The service recently increased their pricing from .50 cents per text to .99 cents. A pretty steep price if you just want random trivia facts, but downright cheap if you’re away from the house and in a bind.

Visit them at www.kgb.com to learn more about the service and even see a few of the questions folks are asking.

Become a Special Agent:

Think you’ve got the skills necessary to work for the KGB? Hop on over to the site and see. Just click on the ‘become an agent’ link at the top and they’ll put you through the paces. Qualify and you could be the next Special Agent. (note: I passed everything except the Math portion. Guess I’d better brush up on that.)

Here’s a link to the KGB Challenge: http://beginkgb.com/challenge/ just in case you’d like to see if you have the goods.

What question would you ask the KGB?