We Are Called To Rise

We Are Called To Rise

By: Laura McBride

Published: June 3,

Summary via Goodreads.com

An immigrant boy whose family is struggling to assimilate. A middle-aged housewife coping with an imploding marriage and a troubled son. A social worker at home in the darker corners of Las Vegas. A wounded soldier recovering from an injury he can't remember getting. By the time we realize how these voices will connect, the impossible and perhaps the unbearable has already happened. We Are Called to Rise is a boomtown tale, in which the lives of people from different backgrounds and experiences collide in a stunning coincidence. When presented the opportunity to sink into despair, these characters rise. Through acts of remarkable charity and bravery, they rescue themselves. Emotionally powerful yet tender and intimate, We Are Called to Rise is a novel of redemption and unexpected love.

My thoughts 

This was a GREAT book. I think I experienced every emotion possible while reading this book. To my surprise, it's the author's first book. It was written as though she's been an author for many years. I really liked her style of writing. She gave me a clear picture of exactly what was happening in this story.

My heart was hit the hardest by the little immigrant boy. His family has migrated here from Albania. He is with his Father, Mother and little Sister. The family runs an ice cream truck. He is the center of this story, and what ties the other 3 families together.  We also meet a soldier recovering from a gun shot wound at a hospital in D.C. and a woman in her early 50s who's been socked with the realization that her husband is leaving her for another woman.

These chapters segwayed well from 1 to the next, however it would have been nice if there was a little more order to that. We'd go from one to the next to the next and then maybe focus on someone for a couple of chapters, so when you got back to 1 of them, it was hard to remember where you left off.

This story was building and building for me. I was on pins and needles wondering what was happening next. And then. it was done. I have so many unanswered questions about this story and really hope the author will write a sequel to answer them. 

I give this story 4 stars, with the high hopes of a next book, so that I can change it to 5 stars when I have my answers :)