being known: a book about letting go of the past

Perhaps you guys remember my review of Robin Jones Gunn’s Becoming Us. I have a soft spot for Robin’s books because they helped steer me in the right direction during my teen years and help me see the practical side of Christianity.

So I was THRILLED when my dad threw an envelope my direction and it was a surprise package from Robin’s marketing team. They sent me the second installment of the Haven Makers series, Being Known, and wow just at the right time because Christmas break was a couple days away and this girl was voracious for a lit dinner.

So, let’s get reviewing!

AN ENTERTAINING ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY

A married woman feels her husband isn’t home enough and then she sees her old flame at her daughter’s ballet class and they play Scrabble online together in the middle of the night and she’s like hold up this is going too far

AN ENTERTAINING SHORT SUMMARIES

COOKING DELICIOUS STUFFS

Clothes

Scrabble affairs

Girls’ night out vibes

Painful memories

*cue the internal conflict*

THOUGHTS ON BEING KNOWN

My only real critique of Becoming Us was that it wasn’t very relatable for readers who aren’t married and/or have kids. Granted, this may be because the series has been going since the ’80s so its original readers are now of the married age, so I gave it a little slack.

Honestly, I entered Being Known a bit worried it would be unrelatable again. And while I don’t exactly empathize with women whose husbands are too busy to be home or whose kids are running around just being kids, I ended up loving this one even more than Becoming Us.

Ya know why?

Because the main theme of Being Known was letting go of the past.

Jennalyn, the main character of the book is already stressed because she feels like her entrepreneurial (and very distracted) husband is at work all the time. She never gets to see him and he doesn’t get to be with his kids, and that’s taking a toll on her. IT’S JUST TOO MUCH!

(In my world, this looks like: when homework at school is piling up and relationships are tense and my health issues are flaring up and IT’S JUST TOO MUCH)

So, when Jennalyn sees her old boyfriend at her daughter’s ballet practice, she’s shocked and yet excited that this bit of her past still exists.

Sometimes it’s so easy to look at current circumstances and ruminate about “the good old days.”

We think about what was, what could’ve been, what should’ve been, and before we know it we’re sick because we think we wasted our life or ruined our chances or we simply aren’t in the right spot right now.

But hold up: those days weren’t perfect. You were still struggling with things. In fact, how much have you grown spiritually, mentally, socially, and even physically since those “good old days”?

The fact is, they’re over. It’s no use to live in the past.

Sometimes we have what I’d call hindsight glorification. We look behind us and everything is painted gold and has rainbows and sprinkles spouting out the sides. The past can actually trap us, whether that be in guilt, shame, despair, or even lust for what was instead of what is.

Being Known was A. POWERFUL. BOOK.

I read Being Known right before the new year and it was very convicting. I decided that, as I entered 2020, I wanted the grace of Jesus to help me to not carry any toxic knick knacks from 2019, 2018, 2017, or any other year before that. (I wasn’t around in the 1980s, but I’m pretty sure toxic knick knacks from then include leg warmers and chunky crop tops)

Please support this fabulous Christian fiction writer by reading Robin’s post about Being Known and preordering your copy! Preorders are HUGE for authors and remind publishing houses that their author is doing a phenomenal job.

Do you often live in the past? Have you ever read this series before? Are you a preordering type of gal? (I’m too impatient usually haha)