Saving Maddie

by Varian Johnson

[Joséphine]

I loved the honesty of the voice of Joshua as he grappled with friendship and religion. Joshua's childhood friend, Madeline, returns to his community, confronting him with issues of morality, religion, church and personal beliefs. She challenges him to think for himself and I enjoyed reading the story from Joshua's point of view.

Given the length of the book, Varian Johnson did a good job in bringing the characters and their struggles to life. This is also why anyone looking for a happy ending should look elsewhere. While loose ends are tied up nicely, the story doesn't stop right there where the book does. Instead, Maddie's and Joshua's lives very evidently continue beyond this chapter in their lives where their paths cross, before they diverge again.

However, for me, the book would have worked better for me if there would have been a little bit more depth to Joshua as he tries to work out his personal convictions.