Hope Beyond the Waves

By Heidi Chiavaroli

Description:

From award-winning author Heidi Chiavaroli comes a sweeping dual timeline story that explores hope and enduring love in the midst of the impossible.
 
Massachusetts, 1993
 
After making a grievous mistake that will change her life forever, Emily Robertson is sent away to live with her grandmother on Cape Cod. When Emily finds a timeworn photograph buried in a drawer, she realizes her grandmother has concealed a secret even bigger than her own. Will convincing Gram to reveal their family history help Emily make the most important decision of her life or will it prove her parents right—that family scandal is better off buried and forgotten?
 
Massachusetts, 1916
 
Atta Schaeffer plans to marry the man of her dreams and whisk her little sister away from their abusive father. But when she is diagnosed with a dreaded malady, Atta is forced into a life of exile, leaving her sister in harm’s way.

On Penikese Island, Atta’s best hope lies with Harry Mayhew, a doctor who seeks a cure for his patients at any cost. But when experiments fail, Atta runs from Harry—and from God. Can she return to her sister before it’s too late? Or will her illness consume both her body and soul?
 
A testament to faith and love, Hope Beyond the Waves is the raw account of the journey of two generations of women running from desperate situations toward irresistible hope.

Book Takeaway:

God's love is for the outcast. Nothing is too great to forgive.

Why the author wrote this book:

Ever since learning of the leprosy colony that existed in the early twentieth century on an island close to my home, I became fascinated with the idea of telling the story of an ordinary girl who was exiled there for life...or so she thought. I loved the idea of exploring an impossible romance and showing God's grace and love through an outcast.