Book MYView: Sins of the Father by Angela Benson

God asked the biblical Abraham to sacrifice his son. But Abraham Martin's only god is money.

Successful media mogul Abraham Martin has great wealth, an elegant wife, Saralyn, and a rebellious son, Isaac. He also has a secret: a second family that no one knows about. Now, after thirty years—driven by the urging of his long dormant conscience—Abraham is determined to do the right thing by finally bringing his illegitimate children into the light...and into the family fold.

But beautiful, manipulative Saralyn will never accept the proof of her husband's indiscretions. Isaac, the heir, shaken by his father's revelations, will fight mercilessly when his world is threatened, and may lose everything that matters as a result. And while Abraham's forgotten daughter, Deborah, is open to the undreamed-of possibilities suddenly awaiting her, his son, Michael, cannot forgive the man who cruelly abandoned them to near poverty. And he's driven by only one desire: revenge!

Angela Benson's Sins of the Father is a powerful story of a house bitterly divided—a rich, multilayered family saga of betrayal and redemption, rage and compassion, faith, forgiveness, and ultimately, of love.

My Thoughts: Angela Benson creates a riveting cast of characters suffering pain, betrayal, and the need of acceptance and identity. Sins of the Father is an entertaining page turner with a powerful message spotlighting the corrosive affects illegitimacy has on one’s identity. Most people believe that only the “other” children suffer trying to find their place in the family, but as was shown in the story, every member felt their identity threatened.

This is a book you’ll manhandle while reading. You won’t be able shake some of the characters, so your book will take the beat down. My book looks a mess! There were scenes in the book where I wanted to jump in to offer a few choice words to a character that appeared nonchalant to his part in his family’s demise. He just calmly sat reading the paper, without a care in the world, when right outside his hospital door was bedlam.

I’m uncertain what will ultimately happen to the Martin clan as the ending to their story came too soon. I hope we get to visit with them again in the future to find out more. What is certain, I’m on the lookout for more books by Angela Benson.

Angela Benson’s numerous novels include the Christy Award-nominated Awakening Mercy, the Essence-bestselling The Amen Sisters, and Up Pops The Devil.

Currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama, she lives in Northport, AL.