Disclosure: I received this book from #LitfuseReads. Post contains affiliate links; opinions shared are mine.

Have you ever dreamed of living a life completely different from your own? Perhaps you feel led to minister to those in underdeveloped countries, or maybe you want to work in a field that your family can’t fathom. Lillian from Beyond the Silence would understand how you feel.

So many characters in Beyond the Silence were the victims of abuse.  Verbal abuse can be as damaging as fists and weapons.  An unlikely pairing, when wealthy heiress Lillian from Indiana meets farmer Woody from California, the two have both been under the weight of verbal abuse.   Then we met Harry, who clearly suffered severely from an intellectual disability.  His family physically and verbally abused him throughout the story, which seemed to exacerbate his mental struggles.  It was difficult to bear the pain that these characters felt when being accosted by their peers.   The one redeeming light in the beginning of the story was Carla Colton, the robust shopkeeper who banished the figurative dust bunnies with a sweep of her tongue’s broom.  My favorite character was sweet Jimmy, the young mute child who tried to protect his family with his silence.  I wanted to give him a great big hug so many times!

The faith element in this plot was gently prodded throughout the tale.  Those who proclaim their faith in Christ, and believe in forgiveness, were the ones who vilified Woody in the worst ways.  Woody and Lillian both showed strong Christian character despite the constant battles from the outside.

Tell me about a book that had characters you admired.