I admit it – it’s rare for me to read a book for fun. Often, I find myself reworking paragraphs, or even thinking through sentence structure. So, when I find a book I can immerse myself in, it’s a treat.
I was completely swept away by Rachel Hauck’s newest book, Diva NashVegas. I fell in love with Aubrey and Scott, and their story, filled with southern charm, completely wooed me. But Diva has more than charm, it had authenticity and grace. So well researched was this book that at times I wondered if Rachel had actually BEEN a Diva. She knew insider secrets and educated me about the Country Music world. (A world I’ve always wanted to live in!). But the best thing about this book was the gentle way Rachel wrote about grace and truth. She didn’t bang me over the head with theology, but let it sift into my spirit like a…hmmm…song. And she taught me something – less IS more. Instead of telling me what to think, she let me sort out the story for myself. She resisted the urge to explain every action, and let me enjoy the characters as they went about their lives. It’s probably Rachel’s best book yet.
Here are some of my favorite parts:
“Peter’s voice clung to my heart most of yesterday afternoon, but by this morning, I’d shaken the impact of his call and resealed his emotions.” I love this line because she doesn’t go into a long dissertation of how devastating the phone call was (and you’ll have to read the book to understand). But the word “reseal” gives such a vivid image of how emotions splatter out all over, messy and sometimes out of control. She doesn’t have to say this, however…we get it through the word resealed. Nice!
This is a great use of metaphor to enhance mood – Aubrey is at an event, and everything inside her is slowly dying…only Rachel doesn’t say that…she says this instead. “Alone in the middle of the room, I cup my pink drink. The melting ice forms tears on the outside of the carved glass.” It’s powerful, and says more than any inner thought ever would.
Here’s another sentence that so captures the essence of fracture relationships without having to explain… “We’ve been saying words to each other but not talking.” So true, huh?
One of Rachel’s best moves in the book is to use a metaphorical “God” figure in the background that gives a richness to the spiritual threads woven through the book. His name is Juan, and he’s the gardener… “I peer out the window at the maple’s red and gold leaves clapping in the wind. Juan is steering a wheelbarrow across the lawn toward the gazebo. He stops and lifts out flower boxes of marigolds. How beautiful. Juan. He never leaves my garden unattended.” See, you don’t need any exposition about what is happening in Aubrey’s soul. Perfect.
Pick up Diva. Enjoy it. Learn from it. I know I did.