Clear Winter Nights by Trevin Wax

Title: Clear Winter Nights
Author: Trevin Wax
Genre: Christian, Theology, Fiction
Pages: 147
Publisher: Multomah Books
Expected Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Rating: Just OK

Chris Walker is fresh out of a college. He has a pretty finance and is on track to be a part of a new church plant. All seems to be going well when he receives news about a loved one at his grandmother's funeral. This news shakes his faith to the point that he doesn't think he even believes anymore. He offers to help take care of his ailing grandfather for a weekend and in spending time with his (former) preacher grandfather, he's hoping to have some of his questions answered.

For such a short book, this one took me quite a while to read. It wasn't a terrible book but at only 147 pages, it still seemed to drag. I'm honestly not sure I would have finished it had it not been a review book. The writing was quite simple and I prefer pretty complex sentences. The dialogue seemed both stilted and unbelievable. Chris was overly respectful to his grandfather and then equally too open. I found that both odd and annoying. 

I enjoyed how being in his grandfather's house helped him deal with some of his doubting. He remembered why he had chosen the Christian life style to begin with to a certain extent. I have no problem with his doubting - that was refreshing. The problem I had was the way the ending was summed up so quickly. 

It seemed that the important part of the story was told over and over and then it just ended. What was told as a 147 page book was basically just a one off conversation....Granddad why do you believe? What do I do if I'm doubting?

I think that someone who enjoys strict theology and theological debate with enjoy this one immensely and I loved the point of the story. I just didn't quite enjoy how the story was told. The family dynamics between Chris and his grandfather was heart warming but it wasn't quite enough to make me really enjoy the story as a whole.