Not In The Heart

What would you do to save the life of your child? For most of us parents, the answer is an easy one. There isn't anything we wouldn't do. However for a man like Truman Wiley that answer has been a struggle. A difficult internal struggle at that. Being married to Ellen and having two children, Aiden and Abigail, he has spent his whole life trying to measure up to what he believes they expect and want from a husband and father. When he comes up short, he turns to his only addiction, gambling. Whether it's online or visiting a local casino or horsetrack, Truman finds that when he wins, he feels like he's on top of the world, able to meet the obligations to his family he feels they are owed, but when he loses as is often the case, he turns and runs. Runs away from the very thing he swore to protect and love, his family. This is where we find Truman as Not In The Heart begins by Chris Fabry.

Truman Wiley was once at the top of his game in journalism, over turning rocks to bring to light the slime of the world's worst whether they were in politics or in the lime light. He felt it was his true talent to not be afraid of the truth and be willing to report it, no matter how often his life was threatened. Until no one wanted to work or hire Truman any longer. Then he found that gambling provided the control he needed to maintain in his life. His personal life was a wreck.

His only son Aiden since he was young was diagnosed with a heart defect that would place their family under enormous financial and physical pressure. Not knowing from one day to the next if this was in fact their last time with Aiden, they lived on the edge. Ellen maintained the burden of caring for the children and family while Truman tried to find a way to make ends meet. When he failed, he ran. Ran away from the family that needed a husband and father more than a paycheck, but he couldn't see past that. He felt like a failure and until he could rise above once again, he would stay away. Better to do that than show himself to be a failure to those whose opinions mattered the most.

When Truman learns that there might be a way to save Aiden through an heart transplant of a man waiting on death row, he is curious how he could possibly help. When Ellen explains the wife, Helen Wright has one request that he write her husband's story of transformation from murder to reformed man since finding God in his life and is willing to pay him to do it, Truman takes the bait. What he learns in working through the evidence on the case, is that an innocent man may in fact be put to death. How can he is good conscience report the truth if it means his son may die if he doesn't get this heart transplant?

I received Not In The Heart by Chris Fabry compliments of B & B Media Group for my honest review and found it difficult not to relate to the characters Chris brings to life within the pages of his novel. From the internal struggle happening within Truman, it's easy to see how a man can judge his worth by what he brings to the table and how often he finds it's easier to give up rather than push forward when the challenge becomes to hard. Truman is forced to come to terms with all his past mistakes and it's hard to watch how often he will turn away from his family to work towards the goal of saving his son, but in the process is missing opportunity to connect with him while he wants to spend time with his dad.

I have known my own Truman in my personal life, with addictions to jobs. I can see how easy it would be to justify working long hours and missing personal time with your family for the reward of a paycheck because you think it justifies the time being away. It has taken me years to see that in life, there is a cost to everything, and not everything is worth the cost it takes on your personal life and family, we just need to see it. For this reason, this book will speak to hearts everywhere and shine the light of truth inside us all and for that, I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. Chris Fabry's writing style will touch your heart in ways you never thought imaginable and I can't wait to read the next one!

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Not In My Heart by Chris Fabry

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