Book Report:

A Voice in the Wind

by Francine Rivers
Chapters 1 - 13

Jason McNeill
April 25, 2015
International College of Christian Ministries

It was a refreshing change of pace to be assigned the fictional novel A Voice in the Wind by
Francine Rivers. Fiction is such an effective way to touch the heart of the reader, as Jesus understood
in His extensive use of parables. Through the lives and experiences of the characters in this book, I felt
a connection to their emotions and found myself drawn in to their stories.
The first thing I noticed in the opening chapters was the striking imagery that the author
portrays about the Romans' brutal destruction of Jerusalem. I have previously read the gruesome
account of this event by the ancient historian Josephus Flavius, in his work Wars of the Jews. The city
was torn apart by internal factions, doing violence to each other and leading to mass starvation among
the people. When the Romans penetrated the city, they found houses already stacked full of foodstarved corpses. There were so many corpses, says Josephus, that their blood prevented the Romans
from burning down the buildings because so much of the blood from the bodies was extinguishing the
flames. It is this chaos that is conveyed so effectively in Rivers' book. The protagonist, a small
adolescent Jewish girl named Hadassah, lives through the carnage followed by a long march as captive,
and is sold as a slave into a wealthy Roman family.
Despite her abasement and humiliation, God uses Hadassah to display His peace and grace. Her
respectful humility and her reverence to God in prayer have a compelling influence on Marcus, who is
the brother of Hadassah's mistress. When Marcus is strolling the grounds at night, he comes upon
Hadassah during an intensely personal and intimate prayer. All of his pleasures, wealth, and status
which have only produced boredom, stress and worry pale in comparison to Hadassah's serenity after
worshiping her unseen God. It is this principle that the apostle Paul writes about when he describes
how believing wives can win the hearts of their husbands to Christ (...for the unbelieving husband is
made holy because of his [believing] wife, 1 Cor. 7:14), showing the impact that a person can have
even in their submission.
Not only does her submission touch Marcus, but also Julia his sister, who is often rash and illtempered. Hadassah's soothing and calming influence is noticed by her Roman benefactors, and at one
point this even preserves her continued role in their household. When Julia begrudgingly gets married
to an older but established husband, Hadassah continues serving them at his estate. It is then that she
shows another quality her knowledge of scripture which captives the interest of Julia's husband,
Claudius. It is not only her submission and humility, but also her faithful study in the Word, which
causes Hadassah to capture the interest of the cerebral Claudius. His ears are attentive and receptive.
Separate from Hadassah, a parallel storyline is that of the German warrior Atretes, who is
captured in battle and brutally trained to be a Roman gladiator. How his life intersects with Hadassah's
is unclear through chapter 13, but it seems that his prominent role in the story will serve a purpose that
is only gradually emerging. That purpose may be to show how his fierce and violent hatred for his
Roman captors can morph itself through unimaginable adversity into an enduring strength of
character. Alternately, Atretes' purpose in the story may be much darker. He has killed his own, killed
in battle, killed in the arena, and killed countless more times in his mind. It may be that his violent life
may serve only as an example in futility. The more he resists, the more he is treated as a curiosity at
best, or a threat at worst. Hadassah's influence could not be any more different. The effect of Atretes'
subjugation by brute force is not yet fully apparent by chapter 13. But his and her paths seem to be
converging, because toward the end of the first half of the book both she and Julia see him for the first
time.
My strongest impression from the book is that Hadassah's quiet, gentle humility has immense
power. The transcendent principle is that anyone who has and shows faith in God can positively affect
the people who surround them whether those people are family members, friends, neighbors,
supervisors, rulers, even captors through their steadfast devotion to scripture and prayer, and the
willingness to talk to others about these things. What makes her story powerful is that her faith shines
brightest, not because of any privilege or comfort, but rather despite the complete lack of these.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9