Inspired by the true story of a young unmarried woman who faced one of the most horrible life events a woman could ever experience--rape by gunpoint. With the support of her church she was able to deal with the experience by focusing on others in her life. The support of friends and family was critical, and is an example of the fact that, as the title of the popular hymn proclaims, "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love." Love, in this case, refers to agape love. The remarkable twists and turns in the story helps readers to better understand the psychology of both the good and evil side of humanity. It also illustrates the imperative to forgive even the worst of sins.
The story leads into a father's worst fear, the loss of his entire family. It presents many of the same issues covered in the young unmarried woman's story, only from the male perspective. One focus in both accounts is the fact that all of us experience gross injustice in our lives. Successfully dealing with the trauma it causes, even though difficult, includes working to accept the injustice, learning from it, and focusing on moving forward in one's life.
The journey through the stories of two primary characters exposes the reader to the successes and failures of our fallible criminal justice system. It also introduces us in some detail to the minds of those persons who commit very evil acts. A second focus is to understand what motivates them to commit crimes, and how the factors that drive some persons to commit evil can be ameliorated. Both lead characters also deal front and center with the problem of racism by helping the reader to step into the lives of non-whites, several of whom are central figures in the lives of both stories' two leading characters.
