About the Book

Before Dan opened his door to find a wounded woman who had escaped from the tormentors in the mountain, his life had become rather quiet. He and the eight other people in the mostly abandoned town had become friends. They spent peaceful evenings around the campfire and even made vague plans to journey east one day and leave the ominous mountain behind.

But the woman’s arrival changes everything. 
Who is she? How does she know so much about Dan’s brother, who is still held captive in the mountain? Why are long-forgotten memories rising to the surface? And why does Dan feel so compelled to keep her presence in his house a secret?

Visionary writer Shawn Smucker is back with an unsettling story that invites us to consider two challenging questions: To what lengths will we go to assuage our own guilt? and Is there a limit to the things we will do for the people we love?

Amazon | B&N | BAM! | Book Depository | Christianbook |  Goodreads

In My Opinion

If you have not read a Shawn Smucker book before, there are a couple things you should now (and one specific to The Nameless Things). First, it you’re looking for a light read, this one isn’t it. Wait until your in a contemplative state of mind because Smucker gives your brain a workout with his lyrical prose and intricate plots.

Second, this author’s books are hard to set firmly into a genre. This particular book is part allegory, part speculative, and part literary. And specific to this one is the inspiration, which comes from Dante’s Inferno so if you’re not familiar with that piece of literature, you may want to visit Google first.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, These Nameless Things is an exploration of choices and how far they reach, of how guilt nudges us to hide instead of step into the light, of forgiveness and eternity. And I am positive that if I read this book again in another two weeks or month I will get even more out of it.

Smucker drew me in and kept me there even while I tried to put together the pieces of this world of the mountain and those who leave. All of that while trying to figure out Dan’s story.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.