There are two such stories that stand out to me.
First, the story of Diane who was sexually abused by her father. It's one of the stories in this book that kept me riveted and broke my heart at the same time. Wangerin has a way of drawing his reader in, making them part of the story as he tells it from his vantage point. His ability to translate emotion and communicate in a way that connects and moves his read is impressive.
Then there's the story of Junie Piper, whom Wangerin visits in prison. After numerous visits where it doesn't seem as if Wangerin is getting through to him, he receives a collect phone call. On the other end of that phone call is Piper who simply says, "I love you" to Wangerin. After hanging up the phone, Wangerin wept and knew that he had encountered Jesus in that man.
The collection works best, I think, as a collection of parables about the Kingdom of God -- that Kingdom breaking into the world's darkness, places where "the light comes in".
It is a must-read for those who are hoping such things to be true. Wangerin demonstrates to us that they are.
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