The Choice by Robert Whitlow

Robert Whitlow is one of my favorite authors. I think I have read all his books. His most recent one, The Choice, was one of the best. I devour his books. I pick one up and can't put it down until I finish it and this one was true to form. This is another book about teen-age pregnancy, abortion, and adoption.

The protagonist, Sandy Lincoln, is a high-school cheerleader in Georgia in 1974--Bible belt, Christian girl, all the basics for a Christian novel. But things get out of hand, and when she and her boyfriend, Brad, cross the line and have sex, she has to decide what she will do about her pregnancy. Whitlow delves into teen-age life as the other kids find out about the pregnancy, and into her family life as her distressed parents send her to live with her Aunt Linda to have the baby and put it up for adoption. Twists and turns by the author keep the reader turning the pages faster and faster as we meet new people and new situations.

A very unusual event occurs as Sandy is on her way to live with her aunt. She goes into a convenience store and unexpectedly meets an old lady who makes a prediction about her pregnancy. This is very troubling to Sandy, but months later, she realizes that what the lady told her was true.

After thirty years, Sandy comes in contact with a high school girl who is pregnant and she relives her experience as she tries to help Maria make the best choice about her unborn baby. Sandy becomes enmeshed with Maria and more and more twists and turns occur.

Then the unexpected happens. My eyes popped as I read the pages. Never would I have dreamed that the author would come up with an ending like this one. If I told you, it would ruin the book for you, so I can only enourage you to read it for yourself.

Robert Whitlow writes about legal suspense and uses intense characterization. Whitlow's excellent writing style, his gift for dialogue and the unexpected, will keep you reading far into the night. This Christian author presents modern-day characters and problems. He helps the reader to see how problems can be solved in a way that is pleasing to God, but his books are not preachy.