The Healing Reviewed by Wendy H. Jones

Title The Healing

by Stan Phillips by Joy Margetts

Reviewed by Wendy H. Jones

I have been a prolific reader since the age of three, so as you can imagine I have read, and still read, numerous books. It is rare that one comes along and affects me as deeply as The Healing by Joy Margetts. It is hard to imagine that this is a debut novel as Margetts is such a skilled writer with a true gift for words. The premise of the story is that in the year 1231 a nobleman, Philip de Braose is grievously injured and is rescued from certain death by Brother Hywel a Cistercian Monk. We follow Philip as he starts to heal from his wounds and yet it is obvious, he also requires both emotional and mental healing, not so easily obtained. The reader joins Philip and Hywel as they journey from France back to Wales and the monastery in which Hywel is based. This is not a novel to be hurried, or one which has you on the edge of your seat, yet in its own way it pulls you in and holds you there. You want to read more and not stop reading, whilst wanting to savour every word and hold its meaning in your heart and mind for as long as possible.

Margetts has used words well to develop characters who are realistic – no cardboard cut-outs here. I could feel their pain and their peace in equal measure, and by the end of the book I considered them friends. I truly cared about them and what happened to them. Philip’s transformation held me spell bound. This is a gentle journey of redemption and reconciliation which deserves to be read. It is Christian, which is to be expected of a book where one of the main characters is a monk. There is a bible verse at the end of each chapter which supports the narrative and brings it even further to life. However, the faith element is natural and does not overwhelm which, I believe, makes it accessible to all readers. I think it is a book which everyone can and should read. You can find out more about the book, the author and her own journey of healing at https://joymargetts.com/

https://bookgoodies.com/a/B08WQ94TJP