Title: The Last Sin Eater
Author: Francine Rivers
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: Cadi Forbes in a young girl living in a small Appalachian Mountain town during the 1850’s. The families all come from Wales and have brought Christian traditions, and a few Welsh, with them. One is that of a mysterious man, called a Sin Eater. His burden is to take the sins of those who have recently died onto himself. He lives in the mountains above the town and is only allowed to enter town when he hears the bells tolling for someone who died. When Cadi’s grandmother dies, she finally gets to meet the Sin Eater. The only thing is that, no one is allowed to look at him, otherwise they’ll be cursed. Cadi hears his sad voice at the funeral and ignores all warnings and looks at the Sin Eater. A few days later, an outsider enters their little valley, preaching Christianity, true Christianity. Her friend Kai and her start secretly visiting the preacher. But Kai’s father forbids it. Anyone who goes to hear what the preacher says is punished. This starts Cadi’s journey into learning more about the outside world, and about the town’s mysterious past. What happened to the town at its foundation? What is the town hiding? Who is the Sin Eater? Why is he the Sin Eater? Will anyone hear what the preacher has to say? Will the preacher be allowed to stay? Or will he be forced out?
Rating: 4.5 – a good historical fiction with mystery
Opinion: I highly enjoyed this book. I definitely had a hard time putting it down. It was interesting learning about different parts of the past that you don’t normally hear about. I enjoyed learning about what other cultures brought with them when they emigrated to the States. As usual, Francine Rivers tugged at my heart with this story. It was a good coming of age story and forgiveness. It tells a lot about holding onto secrets and the pain and damage they can cost. Francine Rivers does a great job holding the reader’s attention. It’s easy to get lost in the book. I have yet to be disappointed in a Francine Rivers book. This one is no exception. Though it was the shortest one I’ve read by her, it still delivers a heart felt message. There’s also a low budget movie based off the book. It does a good job portraying the book and is a good adaption. It leaves a few things out and changes a few things, but that’s no different than any other book. I was okay with the changes that they made. The acting wasn’t amazing, but they did a good job with their characters. If you’re looking for a good historical fiction book that will tug at your heart, than I highly recommend this book.
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