Weekend Writing: Reviewing Karen Kingsbury's "Someday"

"Kari was so happy she had to blink back tears. Somewhere in heaven, she could only hope her mother might share in the joy of all that was happening. There were details that needed to fall into place, babies that were hopefully yet to be born, and marriages that needed some work. Maybe even a wedding somewhere in the future. But today Kari could do nothing but rejoice. Because though they didn't quite have the happy ending they were praying for, one thing was very clear tonight. It was within view." - Karen Kingsbury, "Someday" 

There is always something going on for the Baxter family in Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family series. In Someday, the third book in the Sunrise series, the Baxter family is facing more drama than they know how to handle. 

Karen Kingsbury's Sunrise series (photo/Amazon.com).

For example, the family's oldest son, Dayne, should be enjoying his first year of marriage with his sweet, compassionate Christian Kids Theater director wife, Katy, but it's not going very well. For one thing, the Bloomington, Indiana chapter of Christian Kids Theater has shut down due to investors buying the theater to turn into condominiums. Because of this, Katy signs on to star in a movie in London and Dayne takes on a separate movie, filming in Mexico. They're going to spend months apart from each other, but they're confident their marriage can survive anything. 

But can it? 

Tabloid rumors exploit their marriage, suggesting they're in trouble and that Dayne is being unfaithful to Katy. This rumor continues after Dayne is supposedly photographed kissing his costar, Randi Wells. They weren't filming a scene and it seemed romantic. How could Dayne do this to Katy?

But it wasn't Dayne. It wasn't him at all. Instead, it was the Baxter's youngest son, Luke. As Dayne's entertainment lawyer, he was visiting Dayne on the set of his movie. Luke looks just like Dayne, so when paparazzi caught him kissing Randi at a cast party, they thought it was Dayne. 

So, you can imagine how shocked everyone was when the pictures appeared on the cover of all the tabloids. Dayne is a married man. He couldn't betray his vows to Katy. Dayne knows it wasn't him, but how can he convince everyone else? How can he prove his devotion to Katy? She senses their marriage is over, but is it? 

"The knowledge was deep and sure. It tripled her pain and made her feel like she was drowning in an ocean with no surface to swim up to. Because the photograph of Dayne and Randi didn't mean her brief marriage was on the rocks. It meant it was over." - Karen Kingsbury, "Someday" 

I was really disappointed in Luke's actions. He's a married man with two young children, but he doesn't always seem devoted to his family. He's often frustrated when he gets home from work, and he is quick to judge his wife, Reagan, on why the children are crying or making a lot of noise. Why is the house messy when she's home all day? 

His attitude frustrates me. He's Luke Baxter, the golden boy in the family. He knows the kind of man he should be from watching his father, John, be a godly husband and father. He knows how he should behave, but he doesn't make good decisions. 

That's true in this book. Luke kisses another woman while he's married. Unfortunately, Dayne takes the blame for this and the photos are slapped on the cover of every tabloid magazine. People think Dayne is cheating on Katy, and Luke doesn't do anything to stop the rumors. He doesn't call Dayne and admit the truth. He doesn't tell Dayne that he not only kissed Randi, but he also has private conversations with her that aren't exactly "friendly." 

It's wrong. Luke knows it's wrong, but he can't stop. He's struggling in his marriage, but also with the man God wants him to be. 

"Guilt came down around him like the claustrophobic bars of a prison cell, guilt like Luke had never felt before--not even back when he left home and cut ties with his family. This was guilt strong enough to destroy him. Luke could feel it like poison in his blood. Because no matter what story the picture told and no matter what lies Luke was willing to tell...even if the whole world believed otherwise, Dayne wasn't having an affair with Randi Wells. Luke was." - Karen Kingsbury, "Someday" 

Like always, Karen Kingsbury does a phenomenal job of presenting her characters as flawed, imperfect human beings. They're Christians, but they struggle. Luke is struggling in his marriage and commitment to his marriage vows. At the same time, Katy is struggling with how she wants to proceed in her failing marriage with Dayne. She's a newlywed, but they aren't happy. 

Kaen Kingsbury's Someday. 

Meanwhile, John Baxter is struggling in his new phase of life as he prepares to marry his fiance, Elaine Denning. He knows he will have to sell his home, but how can he do that? How can he sell the place he lived with his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, and they raised their children? How could he do that? 

Everyone is struggling in this book, and that's what I appreciate about Kingsbury's writing. She draws us closer to God, realizing that God knows we're imperfect. We make mistakes--some more significant than others. We are flawed, but He forgives us. He is in our corner. 

Each of us has a plan and God knows this plan. It might not feel like we have much of a future when we're going through these challenging times, but God knows. He knows what our "someday" is going to be like. In the meantime, He asks us to be patient. "Someday" will be here before we know it. 

"The world could write Dayne off, complain that he had walked away from a brilliant career and more fame than a person had a right to. But in this moment the label people wanted to tack onto him was right in every possible way. Dayne truly had it all, for one wonderful reason. Someday was finally here." - Karen Kingsbury, "Someday" 

Like always, Kingsbury delivers life-changing, inspirational messages for us to consider. She provides insightful words that bring us back to God. Dayne needs God when he sees his marriage is falling apart. Katy needs God when she doesn't know what to do. Luke really, really needs God when he's having an affair. John needs God's security when he's deciding what to do about his future with Elaine. 

God is always there for us, and I'm thankful Kingsbury reminded me of this in Someday. I look forward to reading the final installment of the Sunrise series. If it's anything like the other books, it will be a joyous adventure. Until next time...

Read on.

-KJL-