Great New Book: The Dance by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley - Book Review

This is a brand new book, and it's a winner!

Dan Walsh is a gifted storyteller who writes heart-impacting fiction.  Gary Smalley is known as the "relationship expert".  These two amazing men have collaborated on the new "Restoration" series, and The Dance is the first installment. Once I started reading I could hardly put it down.

Jim and Marilyn Anderson appear to have a picture-perfect marriage, but in reality it's a hollow, empty relationship.  Jim thinks that because he's given Marilyn all the material things a woman could want, she should be satisfied. But Marilyn has tried for years to tell Jim that what she really wants wants is his heart... which is more than Jim is willing to give.  So Jim is shocked and angry when Marilyn walks out on him.

Most of the story is spent switching back and forth between Jim and Marilyn's perspectives as they live their now-separate lives: Jim at first fuming over Marilyn's "ridiculous" absence, then (with some help) eventually realizing that he just may be the problem.  As Marilyn learns to stand on her own two feet, she finds a job and even fulfills a long-ignored dream - taking dancing lessons. Her taste of freedom only strengthens her resolve that she will no longer settle for the shallow coexistance that her marriage had become. As so often happens, their kids are caught in the middle.

I won't say any more about the plot, because you can probably figure out how it will end.  The beauty of the book is not in the suspense, but rather in the dawning recognition by Jim that he has taken his wife (and family) for granted for years.  He represents the clueless, stereotypical, career-driven man who uses his family and even his church as tools to achieve his goals.

I thought that the dialogue, thoughts and actions of the characters were realistic, and probably represent a composite of many true-life situations that Gary Smalley has counseled over the years. The authors did a fantastic job of bringing many different perspectives to the story. I was pulling for this family, and wanted them to find a way to resolve the differences and hurt that had torn them apart.

Since this is categorized as "Inspirational Fiction", some readers might be irritated that  Marilyn leaves her home for a time of separation without "Biblical grounds for divorce" (unfaithfulness), and the tone of the book is sympathetic to her.  Just to be clear, Marilyn does not file for divorce. She leaves in order to give her husband a wake-up call. She wants her marriage to be restored, but she wants it to be different. I wrangled with this a little myself, and if I put myself in her place, I doubt I would handle it the same way. But this is a fictional story after all. The authors walk a fine line here, but do a good job of showing what can really happen when a "Christian couple" doesn't follow Biblical principles in their life.

I believe this book may help some people recognize that their marriage is in real danger and needs attention now.  For others it may provide a nudge to work a little harder at tending the most important relationships in life. In any case, it's simply a great read.

I highly recommend it!

Here is the publisher's synopsis:

Love’s recovery starts with a single step . . .

After 27 years of marriage, Marilyn Anderson is tired of playing the role of perfect wife. Her husband Jim is a successful businessman who gives her everything she needs-a beautiful home in an upscale neighborhood, the financial freedom to be a stay-at-home mom, an enviable collection of stuff. Everything, that is, except what really matters: love.

After years of trying to connect with Jim, Marilyn has had enough. She longs to experience some measure of happiness before she’s too old to enjoy it. Needing some time to herself to sort things out, Marilyn leaves to start a new job and take dancing lessons-something she has wanted to do for as long as she can remember.

Shocked to find his wife gone, Jim Anderson must sort through the past to save his marriage. With a little help from an unexpected ally, he begins a campaign to win Marilyn back. What he doesn’t anticipate is how his actions will affect everyone around him-starting with himself.

Get it now from Baker Publishing Group!