organized chaos

Yesterday, while at the library, I scanned the new books briefly as I whizzed by with The Cuteness in the stroller.  My eyes snapped to attention towards a book I was surprised to see in our small town library.  Those guys are getting better about all that lately.

It was Skin by Ted Dekker.  I threw it in my stroller and went on my way.  When we got home I did some things, fed the gremlins (it was still before midnight), changed a few diapers, and then started the book.  Then I tried to sleep, but Commando Demando demanded I help her scoop her ice cream since it was too hard for her. So I got up, sour cheery attitude and all to perform my motherly duties.

Then I did some laundry, and actually matched socks and put clothes away, (usually a monthly occurance) and eventually made dinner.  After all that I settled down to read some more.  It was around 7:30.  I read and read, and I couldn’t stop.  It’s a sickness I have.  Obsession.  By 12:30 I was done with the whole book.  I’m still not sure how that happened.  We’re talking about a 395 pager here.  I knew I could read fast, but geez a Pete.  I got so sucked into the story I didn’t even realize how fast I was going.

I guess by now you know I’m going to say, “Go read this book.”  And you’ll probably say, “Why? Just what makes this book so gosh darned different than the other 50 books I know I need to read, but just don’t have time for?”

Ted Dekker has a way of using his trademark suspense plots to thrust a point home about the evil  we’re all capable of.  In Skin, the analogies abound.  Looking past the “skin” of this world.  Is beauty only “skin” deep? Is ugliness something we all have under our “skin”? Some very cool things in this book to make you think.  If you like that sort of thing: thinking.

And if you’ve read any of Dekker’s novels, you’ll know he is The Master of the plot twist at the end, and this is no exception.  In fact, he gives us a couple.  Having read almost all of his books, I thought I’d be good at guessing what that twist might look like, but I was DEAD WRONG!  I love that!

And if you’ve read The Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, White) you’ll notice a couple nods to characters or events that take place in those books.  He’s done that in a couple other books also, and I plan on investigating that little piece of information.  You don’t have to read those first or anything to understand this book.  It’s meant to stand on it’s own.

But I would strongly recommend them too.  Strongly.

And for more information, you can always check out Ted’s website .  Pushing the envelope of Christian fiction.  That’s what I get really excited about.  That and a good plate of supreme style nachos.