Defining Moments (New American Library)

By Robin Caldwell

Author: By Jacquelin Thomas

Often I’ll pull the cart before the horse and read the very end of a novel first as a means of determining if I want to read the beginning. If the last paragraph piques my curiosity, then I’ll go back to the front of a book.

"‘I’m forty-two years old, never been married and I have multiple sclerosis … Nicholas, I can truthfully say that I’ve never been happier.’"

After reading the above excerpt, the last sentence of Defining Moments (NAL) by Jacquelin Thomas, I was hooked. After all, I needed to know what would make a never married black woman with MS so happy.

I thought it bold and brave of Jacquelin Thomas to end Defining Moments in such an edifying manner. Let’s face it, she could have opted for the safe route and wrote the fairytale ending with a protagonist who is supernaturally healed, newly married and living in la-la land. No, she left room for reality and chose the ideal attitude instead of the ideal scenario.

Defining Moments is the long-awaited sequel to The Prodigal Husband and the book has been worth the wait. Thomas allows us to revisit the stars of Prodigal four years later. Tori and Jake Madison, Charlene and Shepard, and Aunt Kate return as supporting cast while Nicholas Washington and Sheila Moore emerge as Defining Moments’ romantic leads. The real star of the story, however, is the story itself, which is well crafted and extremely grown up in its references to sexuality and other topics pertinent to Thomas’ loyal, grownup readers.

Skillfully, Thomas doesn’t make being a saint too easy or being a sinner too hard. She portrays the fine line between the two without the self-righteousness found in some Christian lit and without the permissiveness found in other "Christian" novels. Mercy and grace abound in Defining Moments.

The most appreciated aspect of Defining Moments is that Thomas, the author, did not cling too tightly to her perfectly imperfect characters. She gave them the space to be flawed, dimensional and even shallow as the story dictated.

Perhaps the least appreciated aspect of Defining Moments is that it is in desperate need of a sequel. I want to know more about Sheila and Nicholas. In truth, I need more of Nicholas period—in fiction and in reality.

Defining Moments is a lovely novel. Its themes are worthy of a church book club or bible study. And Thomas’ writing is a respite from a storm of poorly written works in Christian fiction for African Americans.

Visit www.jacquelinthomas.com for more information on the author and Defining Moments.