This novella is part of a Crossroad Collection and it is not Hallee’s first contribution to it. Out of six different collections, she has published stories in four of them.
In Blizzard in the Bluegrass, Gloria is a veterinarian and mother of Noah, a wonderful child with autism. Abandoned by her husband on the day the diagnosis came in and later divorced, she raises her son as a single mother with the support of her dad.
Jeff is a doctor of medicine who just moved to Charula, Kentucky to move on and heal from the loss of his wife and child a few years ago.
They meet and start seeing each other, talk about God’s work in both their lives. In a night of blizzard, God will manifest himself in their lives in a stronger way than usual.
There is much more to the story but I do not want to give it away. You will have to read it to see what happens.
The “God” Element
Both main characters speak of their faith to each other, how their difficult times strengthened their faith in God, but the story evolves mostly around Noah. He triggers the plot twists and the spurts of growth of faith. Noah is not, however, the story, and neither is autism.
Overall, Blizzard in the Bluegrass surprised me, and thrilled me. I will get to it in a minute.
My likes:
Hallee usually does not venture into the paranormal zone, but this time she brushes with it. I was utterly thrilled. I read about 10 stories from her and only once in another novel – that I recall – does she mention the Holy Spirit and a manifestation of it. This time, she succeeds in sticking to “reality” and brushing with divine manifestation.
I like hearing stories where God’s might is on display, not just someone the characters pray to and it is what Hallee does.
My dislikes:
I have a fondness for stories with depth, for what is beneath the surface, for the type of quandaries Christians go through, and there is not a lot that in this novella. It is a steady positive arc for the characters, no serious doubts, no existential questions, and no “blow-up-in-your-face” moments.
There is nothing wrong with Blizzard in the Bluegrass; it is a good story, well told, playing out the way it should. I understand the limited word count does not allow much space for depth. It is a novella, not a philosophical essay… light, entertaining, speaking of God, portraying Christ and Christian values, and morally sound and righteous.
A Pen for Christian Fiction 