Elizabeth's One-Minute Book Review

When you sit beside someone on a plane, your lives intersect for that particular moment in time. Sometimes you even form a temporary connection;sometimes you don't even speak. But what if the person beside you had a permanent and major impact on your life?

That's the premise behind Nancy Moser's fiction book,"The Seat Beside Me," published by Multnomah--as well as examining questions like "Am I ready for eternity?" and "Is there a hero in me?"

An airplane crashes,and only five people ultimately survive--but the bond each one formed with their seatmate has far-reaching effects on their lives after the tragedy.

Nancy Moser makes you care about each of the survivors, despite their hang-ups and character flaws.

There's Sonja, a young businesswoman clawing her way to the top in an effort to gain her unloving parents' approval; Merry, a frustrated young mom and housewife whose plans for a carefree getaway to Phoenix go horribly awry; Tina,an unhappy high school teacher who can't stand teenagers and can't commit to her loving boyfriend; Anthony, a conceited and arrogant plastic surgeon; and George, who feels he has no reason to live after the death of his longtime wife.

Drawing them together is Henry, the very ordinary,average Christian man who becomes a hero...and Dora, the journalist who should have been on the plane, but wasn't.

Moser's writing style is crisp and unflowery, and the story carries the reader along as you see each survivor facing his/her demons and acknowledging the permanent life changes caused by the crash and influenced by the person who sat beside them on the plane.

As with her Moser's other books, this one manages to be chockfull of Scripture and spiritual insight without being preachy. An absorbing, satisfying read...a great book for poolside reading.

But I wouldn't recommend taking it on a plane!

Elizabeth