The Choosing ~ Review and Author Q&A

The Choosing
A Seer Novel 1
By Rachelle Dekker

Not to be chosen would yield a cruel fate 

of my own making

All her life Carrington Hale has believed the truth that has been taught to her - her worth is based only on her ability to be chosen.  If, on the day appointed for her to be chosen ends with no one wanting her, it is her own fault. She wasn't worthy.  She wasn't good enough.  She is to be forgotten - to become a Lint.

Carrington was suppose to be chosen, it was all but assured.  But something went wrong - she must have done something wrong.  She wasn't suppose to be a Lint. That wasn't what she spent years of her life training for.

The Choosing is a beautifully written story that is filled with heartache, cruelty, hope, and love.  Taking place in a not too distant future, the world as we know it has ended. A small remnant has created a world based on the rules of one man - a world of structure.  A world in which rules are not to be questioned.  A world where you have one chance to find your worth.  A world in which service is your duty.

But when a second chance is given Carrington's world will never be the same.  Is it possible to choose a different path than what she has been taught?  And if she does what will be the cost?

The Choosing is both beautiful and painful in a way that touches one's heart.  This book has the potential to make one look at one's own life and examine where one finds one's own worth.  Is one's worth determined by the world's standards or is it determined by the measure what is in our heart? Do we see ourselves through the eyes of God or the eyes of the world?

This is the first is a series and I for one can't wait to see what comes next in this world, a world that has lost its way in the name of rules.

I was provided a copy of this book by Tyndale in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.

About the Author . . . The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. She graduated with a degree in communications and spent several years in marketing and corporate recruiting before making the transition to write full-time. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat, Blair. Visit her online at rachelledekker.com.

Author Q and A with Rachelle Dekker
1. How did you come up with the story for The Choosing?
   This is a hard question because it has many answers. I wanted to write a theme-based novel about identity. I wanted to write a dystopian novel. I wanted to write in a world that was familiar, but in a setting where I could change the way the world worked. It actually is several ideas I’d been toying with pulled into one story. Once I landed on Carrington’s core revelation and story arc, I simply fell in love with her as a character and drew the rest of the story around her. That’s usually how it works for me. I come up with a character, good or bad, and create the story from there. 

2. 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.

3. The Choosing is the first of a three-book series. What can we expect in the next two books? 
    More struggles with identity, but in different ways. Familiar characters dealing with fear and worry and forgiveness. We’ll walk with our characters as they continue to understand the true way of Aaron’s Father. More excitement, more romance (of course), and more self-discovery.

4. What is it like being Ted Dekker’s daughter? Did your father help you with the writing process?  
    Being Ted’s daughter is wonderful! He’s the best, but then I hope many daughters feel that way about their fathers. He is a bit of a mystery, though. Sometimes, even sitting at the dinner table, I can tell he’s lost in thought, and I wonder what it might be like to have his mind.

    It’s been a blessing to watch him write and struggle with writing, so that now when I struggle I have an understanding ear to talk off. He is always willing to talk me through the emotional and mental side of writing (which is where the biggest battles lie in wait) but as far as story, for the most part he lets me fend for myself. It’s always been important to me to write through my challenges on my own. To figure out scenes alone. In fact, he didn’t even read The Choosing until I was already in conversations with Tyndale about publication. I think that’s because he wanted me to believe I could do it on my own.

    But when I doubt my ability as a writer, and when I forget who I am, he is the one I call. And he reminds me that life is a journey of remembering and forgetting, and helps me in remembering once again.