Title: The Sky Beneath My Feet
Author: Lisa Samson
Print Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Audio Publisher: Oasis Audio
Narrator: Rebecca Gallagher
Published: March 2013
Genre: Contemporary, Literary
Length: 9 hours, 48 minutes. Unabridged.

About the Book: (from the publisher’s Web site)

Being married to a saint isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.

Beth’s husband won’t be joining the family on vacation at the beach this year. He’s not even joining them in the house. Instead, Rick has holed up alone in the backyard shed. Nobody knows exactly what he’s up to. Maybe he’s immersing himself in prayer. Maybe he’s lost his mind. Maybe he’s even the modern-day prophet or the saint the neighborhood artist imagines him to be. But while “St. Rick” waits for an epiphany, Beth will have to figure out what to do with herself and their teenage sons, possibly for the rest of her life.

What happens next is both uproarious and bittersweet: a peace march turns violent, her son is caught with drugs, and she embarks on an ambitious road trip that turns into something nearly surreal. Will Beth rediscover the idealistic woman she used to be, once upon a time? Can her marriage survive Rick’s backyard vigil? Will anything ever be the same? And should it be?

Truthful, comic, heartbreaking, and magical in the very best sense of the word, The Sky Beneath My Feet gently tears the veil off our egos and expectations to reveal the throbbing, redemptive, and achingly beautiful life beyond and within us.

My Thoughts on the Book:

I have great admiration for the skill and literary techniques that went into the writing of this story. The subtlety of storytelling and the beautiful use of language on display are truly impressive. At the same time, certain aspects of the main character’s beliefs and attitudes rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t stop reading, and yet, at times I really wanted to.

The thing that bugged me most was the story’s internal symbolism surrounding the “Jesus fish” and Beth’s attitude toward it and, by extension, all things conservatively Christian. At times it felt like the characters and plot were poking fun of people with beliefs different and more traditionally conservative than their own. As if sincere expressions of conservative religious conviction somehow equate with being dogmatic, judgmental, and out of touch with reality. It’s entirely possible that I misread the story’s intent with this use of symbolism, but that was the vibe I got from it, and I didn’t much like it.

Regardless, I can’t deny that this story touched me emotionally and made me think long and hard. I particularly enjoyed the symbolism centered on the sky, and how that played out in the end. There’s also some good bits about connecting with God on an individual level. As for the parts I didn’t like, sometimes it seems that the books we don’t necessarily “get” or completely agree with can lead to some of the best discussions. I’ve got to say, at this point, I’d love to hear what others thought of this book and compare notes on what was its intended message.

I’ll confess, I almost didn’t review this book. It’s been a while since it was published, so it wasn’t really a timely thing to review and I had such mixed feelings about it I wasn’t sure what to say at first. But in the end, I found that like it or not, I couldn’t just ignore it. Know what I mean?

Specific to the Audio Edition:

Rebecca Gallagher does a good job reading this first-person present tense story. She infuses appropriate levels of emotion (including wit and sarcasm) naturally into the text, and varies the voices enough to keep different characters distinct in their dialogue. I encourage interested readers to give the audio edition a try.

I borrowed this audiobook from my local library via Hoopla, and I was not expected to write a review.

Quick Links: About the Audiobook | Audio Sample | Author’s Site