The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker
The long awaited day that Carrington Hale has prepared for has arrived and standing along the wall she watches as all the others are chosen in the Choosing Ceremony. As her heart falls she realizes that her worst fear has happened, now she has to spend the rest of her life as a Lint, part of the unwanted women; the lowest part of society. Never to have another chance to have a family of her own or to see her family again. Walking as if in a fog, she hears of rumors of a rebellion that is stirring up feelings all round her. The whispers going around her makes her feel that the way of life that she has been taught is wrong and there is a chance for her to have a new life. When Carrington is offered a second chance for the life she has longed to have since she was a child, she can’t shake the feeling that something is not right here. Is what the Authority says to do the right way to live their lives or is what Aaron is teaching a lifeline for all who believe? Also how can a killer keep on running free picking off Lints one by one? Will Carrington be able to uncover the truth behind everything in time to save herself from death?
Q and A with Rachelle Dekker:
1.Throughout the book, Carrington struggles with understanding her identity and worth and what is true. Why did you decide to write about the theme of identity?
Someone once asked me. If you could leave one message for your younger sisters, what would it be? The answer was always the same: I would pray they knew what they were worth. Identity is everything. There isn’t a theme that doesn’t start with identity or circle back to identity. Knowing who you truly are is the greatest journey we face. Am I enough am I worth it? I believe everyone faces these questions, and I sought out to explore them through this story.
2.Do you think women tend to struggle with identity more than men?
I don’t think women struggle with identity more then men. Not at all. I just think we struggle differently. As a woman I understand the identity struggle from a female perspective more, but I think most men wonder if they’re enough just as much as women do. WE are all the same at our core, really. We are on this earth for a short time, trying to figure out our
purpose and worth. Searching for recognition, usually in all the wrong places. The truth I am
discovering is that there is no need for searching. The truth already resides inside of us. The Father has already marked us as chosen, worth it; He has already given us a purpose. It’s
only a matter of looking inward to the soul and to the Creator of that soul to find our worth.
3. What would you say to the person who is struggling, trying to find their identity in
temporary, unsatisfying places?
I would say we have all been there, and that those places will only serve as a prison in the
end. They may seem like happiness now, but eventually they will become suffering. But
that’s just part of the journey of identity. Some people need to learn the hard way-I did for
sure! I searched for significance in darkness and somehow the Father still led me to the
light. So when I see people gong through what I did, I empathize, but also know that in a single moment they can discover their true identity.
A Big Thank you to Tyndale and Rachelle Dekker for including my blog in on “The Choosing Blog” tour. I enjoyed getting the chance to review an amazing read, that I could not put down without wanting to get right back to reading it. Can’t wait for the second book to come out to see what is in store next for Carrington.
Love of Books and Reading 