The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert

I had never heard of Katie Ganshert before reading A Broken Kind of Beautiful (which I still think is the best ever title of a book). After reading that book last year, I devoured her other two books and have been anxiously awaiting the one I knew she has been working on. The Art of Losing Yourself was worth the wait.

After an incriminating video goes viral, local meteorologist Carmen Hart is required to take a leave of absence from the television station where she works. Carmen lives two lives—the perfect, painted on version in which she is happily married to the local high school football coach, loves her job, and attends church every Sunday and the one where she is drowning in so much sorrow and pain she doesn’t know how to climb her way out. When local authorities call Carmen about a trespasser at her aunt’s abandoned motel and she drives out to find her half-sister. Gracie’s presence is a struggle for Carmen both because she feels guilty for abandoning her with their alcoholic mother and because she wants to break through the walls Gracie has built around herself.

Ganshert’s tale is told through both Carmen’s and Gracie’s points of view, which allows the reader to take this journey along with each sister. Carmen is broken, and you hurt for her in her suffering while at the same time wanting to shake her until she opens up to those around her who love her. I loved Gracie’s acerbic sense of humor and several of her comments or thoughts made me laugh. But this story is truly about healing. Healing relationships, healing past hurts, and healing from God. Ganshert digs deep, opening some emotional wounds in each of her characters that bleed. Wounds that require more than a bandage and a kiss to make it better. My only objection to the story? I didn’t want it to end. I want to spend more time with Carmen Hart and Gracie Fisher.

Want to learn more about the author? Visit Katie Ganshert online.

****Blogging for Books and Waterbrook Multnomah provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.