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Sometimes a Light Surprises
Though it was years ago, Ben Buckley has never gotten over the loss of his wife. But even more than the mystery surrounding her death is the radical change that occurred in her life shortly beforehand. Their marriage was unusually happy--until she met a woman who "turned her on to religion." Baffled, angry, and still feeling guilty for the way he treated Chloe those final weeks, Ben now lives behind the protective walls of severed relationships and a rigid work routine. When two unlikely people enter his narrow world, Ben's view of his life begins to change, and gradually the barriers he's erected around himself come tumbling down. For readers who enjoy character-driven, thought-provoking stories that stay with them long after the last page is turned.
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2009
22 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Langston Turner
12 books136 followersJamie Langston Turner is the award-winning author of seven novels, including Sometimes a Light Surprises, Winter Birds, and Some Wildflower in my Heart, and has been a teacher for more than forty years. She is currently a professor of poetry and creative writing at Bob Jones University. Jamie lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 9, 2009
I'm leaving the plot description in the hands of the other reviewers who've already touched on it. I do have some thoughts on style and recommendation to offer, though.
More literary in style, this book is not a fast read, but a thoughtful read. Almost meditative in places. It mixes the honesty of slice-of-life and moments of heightened realism that suggests more than is immediately apparent.
I enjoyed the book, though I would not recommend it to everyone. If you don't find yourself getting bored with the characters, as some reviewers have suggested, there's not some lightning bolt moment that will make you start loving them; they are consistent throughout. That consistency is part of the book's appeal for me. Even the ending does not undercut the book by some foolish happily-ever-after that ignores the rest of the book. It offers a hope, but doesn't march in and heal all the world's ills.
Favorite quote from the book: "Art that treats only the pretty things of life, casting everything in the rosy glow of perfection, is narrow and dishonest."
Favorite character: Reuben. He's not even a main character, but he was the perfect foil for Ben's daughter Erin. And funny.
More literary in style, this book is not a fast read, but a thoughtful read. Almost meditative in places. It mixes the honesty of slice-of-life and moments of heightened realism that suggests more than is immediately apparent.
I enjoyed the book, though I would not recommend it to everyone. If you don't find yourself getting bored with the characters, as some reviewers have suggested, there's not some lightning bolt moment that will make you start loving them; they are consistent throughout. That consistency is part of the book's appeal for me. Even the ending does not undercut the book by some foolish happily-ever-after that ignores the rest of the book. It offers a hope, but doesn't march in and heal all the world's ills.
Favorite quote from the book: "Art that treats only the pretty things of life, casting everything in the rosy glow of perfection, is narrow and dishonest."
Favorite character: Reuben. He's not even a main character, but he was the perfect foil for Ben's daughter Erin. And funny.
October 9, 2011
This is my 2nd book I have read by Jamie Turner. I have to say so far is one of my favorite authors who never disappoints with her intelligent writing. As in music, you may not know how to play a note, but when you hear something beautiful, you know it. I think the same is true for a good book. I am not an expert in writing, but this story is beautiful that it keeps you engaged, thinking, reflecting, and seeing yourself in the story. One of my favorite things about this book, it shows Christianity in a true light against life and how we live an respond to tragedy. I loved how it started, Ben, who is a business owner, whose wife was killed 20+ years ago, is facing the daughter of his wife's good friend that led her to Christ months before she was killed. His wife's conversion had made him angry and then when his wife was killed, left him empty. He ended up hiring the young woman which he is left wondering how did that happened and his whole life is changed. You will laugh, cry and cheer on these characters as they go thru the difficulties of life and relationships. I loved this book!
June 12, 2009
I generally enjoy Turner's slower paced plots and well-developed characters. In this book she chooses, for the first time, to employ an omniscient narrator rather than a single point of view (or an alternating single voice). I found this much less satisfying, though I can't quite put my finger on why. I didn't think I got to know any of the characters as well as I would have liked, and many important scenes happened "off stage". It seemed to me that she did a lot of telling rather than showing. I highly recommend some of her earlier books, but can't give this one a glowing recommendation. I think most will find it dull.
October 1, 2016
“Sometimes a Light Surprises” is about the grief process and healing.
Ben Buckley lost his wife Chloe to an unsolved murder over twenty years ago. Twenty years is a long time! His four children, although remaining with their dad, were ultimately raised by his mother as Ben took refuge in the grief process. One of his children, Erin, in particular still hangs on to her resentment and bitterness from the years of her father’s missing participation in her life, (perhaps especially because she seems to be unable to bear the child she so desperately wants).
When young Kelly Kovatch applies for a job, Ben has to make the decision whether to hire her knowing that first of all, she is a Christian, and secondly, that her mother was a strong influence on his deceased wife in a direction Ben still resents to this day. Surprising even himself, he decides to give Kelly a chance. The reader follows Kelly’s journey through her first job and her own struggle at losing her mother to cancer.
“After she left, Caroline kept hearing the words: “We know my mother is happier where she is now.” How confident she sounded at the advanced age of what... twenty? Caroline wanted to dislike the girl, almost succeeded on certain days, but then there were other times like right now when she came very close to wishing she could look into Kelly’s heart and see her from the inside out, understand what was behind those dark, serene eyes, and feel what it must be like to have that calm assurance that whatever happened was meant to be.”
Caroline, Ben’s secretary, decides that it is up to her to solve Chloe’s murder and she goes on an investigative journey to uncover what really happened that tragic day.
In many ways this book is about grief and loss, and human failure within relationships. It is also about families that make mistakes with one another and the choices they make; whether to move on and accept one another's flaws, or abandon their closest relationships. As Ben makes his choices, the reader sometimes applauds, and sometimes winces, along with watching Kelly mature and grow among her own life challenges.
Once again the author has carved out a new set of characters to engage the reader, ones who have common foibles and make mistakes, and yet like all of us, are in the learning process of life.
Ben Buckley lost his wife Chloe to an unsolved murder over twenty years ago. Twenty years is a long time! His four children, although remaining with their dad, were ultimately raised by his mother as Ben took refuge in the grief process. One of his children, Erin, in particular still hangs on to her resentment and bitterness from the years of her father’s missing participation in her life, (perhaps especially because she seems to be unable to bear the child she so desperately wants).
When young Kelly Kovatch applies for a job, Ben has to make the decision whether to hire her knowing that first of all, she is a Christian, and secondly, that her mother was a strong influence on his deceased wife in a direction Ben still resents to this day. Surprising even himself, he decides to give Kelly a chance. The reader follows Kelly’s journey through her first job and her own struggle at losing her mother to cancer.
“After she left, Caroline kept hearing the words: “We know my mother is happier where she is now.” How confident she sounded at the advanced age of what... twenty? Caroline wanted to dislike the girl, almost succeeded on certain days, but then there were other times like right now when she came very close to wishing she could look into Kelly’s heart and see her from the inside out, understand what was behind those dark, serene eyes, and feel what it must be like to have that calm assurance that whatever happened was meant to be.”
Caroline, Ben’s secretary, decides that it is up to her to solve Chloe’s murder and she goes on an investigative journey to uncover what really happened that tragic day.
In many ways this book is about grief and loss, and human failure within relationships. It is also about families that make mistakes with one another and the choices they make; whether to move on and accept one another's flaws, or abandon their closest relationships. As Ben makes his choices, the reader sometimes applauds, and sometimes winces, along with watching Kelly mature and grow among her own life challenges.
Once again the author has carved out a new set of characters to engage the reader, ones who have common foibles and make mistakes, and yet like all of us, are in the learning process of life.
September 7, 2016
I love Turner's characters and slow, deliberate plots. Very satisfying read, nothing too nicely tied up like lots of other Christian fiction.
August 25, 2019
Even though I’m a Christian, I virtually never read Christian inspirational fiction. Even more unusually, I am male, a circumstance that affords a different perspective, though not one necessarily beneficial to this novel’s potential readership.
On the positive side, Jamie Langston Turner has created believable characters who only occasionally drift into caricature. The religious message is low-key and never pushy, and the main characters do exhibit positive change by the conclusion of the book.
Negatively, I was irritated by excessive descriptive detail. I think most men would be interested to know if a character was a sharp dresser or looked like Columbo on a bad day, but they are wearied by frequent depictions of blouses, slacks, and sweaters, especially when Turner often provides these sorts of details even for minor characters—of which there are many in this novel. Perhaps it’s simply a female preoccupation to note whether, say, another woman’s buttons are made of wood or mother-of-pearl; but I think I could cut fifty pages from the text without any loss of meaning and, in the process, tighten the story line.
More frustrating to me is the way men in general are portrayed. Some of the novel’s men are crude, some nerdy, some helpless, some just thoughtless. What they mostly have in common is their lack of social skills. Most move around on autopilot without human sensitivity or a deeper thought about anything more serious than football, unless they’re being directed toward enlightenment by one or more females.
For instance, at one point in the novel, a major character, Ben, visits, virtually by chance, a small park in his home town. Eventually, it’s revealed that Ben had proposed to his late wife while they were both lying on their backs on the playground merry-go-round. I suggest that it would be an unusual and truly wooden-headed widower who did not remember this event and who would have either avoided that playground like the plague or would have made an intentional, sentimental journey there.
One final irritation for me were the tentative references to popular culture that I didn’t understand. If my ignorance is due to age or sex, that’s not a problem. If my ignorance is due to the years between the writing and the reading of the novel, the author has unwittingly dated her book into obsolescence.
On the positive side, Jamie Langston Turner has created believable characters who only occasionally drift into caricature. The religious message is low-key and never pushy, and the main characters do exhibit positive change by the conclusion of the book.
Negatively, I was irritated by excessive descriptive detail. I think most men would be interested to know if a character was a sharp dresser or looked like Columbo on a bad day, but they are wearied by frequent depictions of blouses, slacks, and sweaters, especially when Turner often provides these sorts of details even for minor characters—of which there are many in this novel. Perhaps it’s simply a female preoccupation to note whether, say, another woman’s buttons are made of wood or mother-of-pearl; but I think I could cut fifty pages from the text without any loss of meaning and, in the process, tighten the story line.
More frustrating to me is the way men in general are portrayed. Some of the novel’s men are crude, some nerdy, some helpless, some just thoughtless. What they mostly have in common is their lack of social skills. Most move around on autopilot without human sensitivity or a deeper thought about anything more serious than football, unless they’re being directed toward enlightenment by one or more females.
For instance, at one point in the novel, a major character, Ben, visits, virtually by chance, a small park in his home town. Eventually, it’s revealed that Ben had proposed to his late wife while they were both lying on their backs on the playground merry-go-round. I suggest that it would be an unusual and truly wooden-headed widower who did not remember this event and who would have either avoided that playground like the plague or would have made an intentional, sentimental journey there.
One final irritation for me were the tentative references to popular culture that I didn’t understand. If my ignorance is due to age or sex, that’s not a problem. If my ignorance is due to the years between the writing and the reading of the novel, the author has unwittingly dated her book into obsolescence.
March 19, 2017
Though I knew she is a writer, I've only seen her around at my alma mater as the wife of a professor whose classes I took. In fact, I've always been curious about her because her husband's influence was initially the factor that guided my college decision. She has such an aura to herself that is quite difficult to define in a couple of words. To me, she is like an antique. One can easily spot and tell that whatever she upholds is valuable and lasting.
Her writing was exactly that and more. The gentle atmosphere, prevailing in this book, guided to the truth and insights she conveyed through characters and the plot. The plot may be found simple, unadventurous, or even unvaried, but I thought she had captured candid moments of mundane, daily life starkly. I was so riveted in following daily lives of this group of people in the last week or so. How satisfying it was to find so many moments of my life and see them pointing to truths that are beautiful and lasting. It reminded me of such hope in my own life. One other thing I so appreciated was humor. It was unexpected most of the time and it just made reading so much better and sweeter.
I have another book of hers and can't wait to read it. However, I will wait for a good little while before I actually delve into it. Her books are definitely not the ones I want to get used to quickly and ever.
Her writing was exactly that and more. The gentle atmosphere, prevailing in this book, guided to the truth and insights she conveyed through characters and the plot. The plot may be found simple, unadventurous, or even unvaried, but I thought she had captured candid moments of mundane, daily life starkly. I was so riveted in following daily lives of this group of people in the last week or so. How satisfying it was to find so many moments of my life and see them pointing to truths that are beautiful and lasting. It reminded me of such hope in my own life. One other thing I so appreciated was humor. It was unexpected most of the time and it just made reading so much better and sweeter.
I have another book of hers and can't wait to read it. However, I will wait for a good little while before I actually delve into it. Her books are definitely not the ones I want to get used to quickly and ever.
August 22, 2023
For me it was a 3.5 star read that I rounded up for the depth of the characterizations. Being so surrounded by large, large families in my youth made me quite embedded within the story of the new employee much more than that of Ben.
Parts of this I absolutely loved and yet other parts became so tedious that I wanted to give it a 2.5 or 3 star level. It was because I just did not meld with Ben. Nor his base conversations either. Yet they are a good illustration of how Christians can believe, be good people and at the same time negate nearly every positive attribute around them. He was a snarky and insular kill joy, IMHO.
Her books are filled with mundane and illustrative. Both to family life and to connections that humans make. But I find that they define Christian and the optimal, for me, way too narrowly.
Good writer and her people are realistic.
Parts of this I absolutely loved and yet other parts became so tedious that I wanted to give it a 2.5 or 3 star level. It was because I just did not meld with Ben. Nor his base conversations either. Yet they are a good illustration of how Christians can believe, be good people and at the same time negate nearly every positive attribute around them. He was a snarky and insular kill joy, IMHO.
Her books are filled with mundane and illustrative. Both to family life and to connections that humans make. But I find that they define Christian and the optimal, for me, way too narrowly.
Good writer and her people are realistic.
June 24, 2017
Ben Buckley has been estranged from his four children ever since his wife, Chloe, was murdered more than twenty years ago. He is just starting to take "baby steps" to repair the relationships.
Kelly Kovatch comes from a large family (10 or 11 children?) which is also dealing with the trauma of a mother's death, but instead of drifting apart like the Buckleys, they are supporting each other.
This is not what I would consider a "dramatic" story. It focuses on family relationships and how people who are very unlike can affect others around them.
Kelly Kovatch comes from a large family (10 or 11 children?) which is also dealing with the trauma of a mother's death, but instead of drifting apart like the Buckleys, they are supporting each other.
This is not what I would consider a "dramatic" story. It focuses on family relationships and how people who are very unlike can affect others around them.
July 4, 2022
Turner's thoughtful literary writing is always enjoyable. This one was more of a mental plot than most of her others, and did not really conclude because of any action - it was more of a "telling" than a "showing" book, and with multiple plots it was a little much to be in everyone's heads. It wrapped up fairly quickly. The first half moved better than the second half.
February 1, 2023
Regrets
Ben's life was marred by tragedy which resulted in alienating his children. This book consists of cameos of four people, Ben and his daughter and two of his employees. Their stories intertwine and compel one to continue reading.
Ben's life was marred by tragedy which resulted in alienating his children. This book consists of cameos of four people, Ben and his daughter and two of his employees. Their stories intertwine and compel one to continue reading.
July 24, 2024
Poor ending
What happened with Kelly Kovatch? Did Erin and Reuben get the baby? Why does she end her books right in the middle of a scene with so many unanswered questions? Does Ben ever become a Christian just from one reading of the Bible? Very disappointing end!
What happened with Kelly Kovatch? Did Erin and Reuben get the baby? Why does she end her books right in the middle of a scene with so many unanswered questions? Does Ben ever become a Christian just from one reading of the Bible? Very disappointing end!
March 21, 2022
I love this author. Not my favorite of hers --- that is Wildflower in her Heart, but this was still good.
August 21, 2022
I really like this author, 1 of her earlier books is 1 of my favorites. But this storyline moved way too slow and I really got bogged down.
December 27, 2020
Very good book. I hope Jamie Langston Turner keeps writing. I am ready for another of her fun books.
August 11, 2024
Skimmed a lot of this book!
June 28, 2009
Sometimes a Light Surprises by Jamie Langston Turner is a poignant and beautifully written novel about how the quiet faith of just one person can make ripples and touch everyone around her. Ben Buckley has removed himself for the most part from the emotion of living after the murder of his wife Chloe twenty-one years ago. He turned over the care of his four children to his mother, allowing her to make excuses for his absence until he's no longer a part of any of their lives. Kelly Kovatch has lived a sheltered life in a Christian home-schooled family of eleven children until her mother's diagnosis of cancer forces her to seek a job at Ben's store as a designer. He initially gives her the job out of a bit of pity, but her unshakable faith and gentle spirit brings change to everyone who works at the store, including Ben's crotchety secretary Caroline, who decides to investigate Chloe's murder for herself. This is not a wildly romantic or action-packed novel. It almost feels like peeking into someone's real life and watching in wonder. Every character is fully realized; no stereotypes or caricatures here! Ben has filled his life with rituals and busyness to escape the gaping hole in his life left by the murder of Chloe and the defection of his children. His quiet awakening corresponds with the emergence of Kelly's confidence. The story builds quietly, one small piece placed upon another until it ends, naturally, wonderfully. It's a terrific book to lose yourself in for an afternoon.
July 3, 2009
Sometimes a Light Surprises, in one word: Perfection. I just finished this book, but I wish I could go back and read it all again. Ben Buckley is a man who has been suffering for over twenty years. In all the years since his wife’s murder, Ben has built walls around his safe little world, even shutting out his own children. Ben hires a young woman named Kelly whose simple faith and outlook on life causes him to examine his strange world and rituals. Slowly and reluctantly Ben struggles to rebuild his life and his relationships. It will not be easy for him, but it is time for him to heal.
Jamie Langston Turner has written a magnificent story. Certain aspects of this book were very personal for me, and brought back some painful memories of things in my past, but the healing that takes place is so inspiring. Sometimes a Light Surprises is one of those books that just grabbed me right from the start and never let me go until the end. Everything about this novel was perfect; the writing, the story, the characters, the realities of life. I will put this book on my short list of favorites and I really hope that someday I will be able to read it again; I don’t say that about many books. I can’t recommend this book enough, but don’t just read it; absorb it, savor it, let its message of hope sink in and inspire you as it did me.
Jamie Langston Turner has written a magnificent story. Certain aspects of this book were very personal for me, and brought back some painful memories of things in my past, but the healing that takes place is so inspiring. Sometimes a Light Surprises is one of those books that just grabbed me right from the start and never let me go until the end. Everything about this novel was perfect; the writing, the story, the characters, the realities of life. I will put this book on my short list of favorites and I really hope that someday I will be able to read it again; I don’t say that about many books. I can’t recommend this book enough, but don’t just read it; absorb it, savor it, let its message of hope sink in and inspire you as it did me.
December 10, 2014
This wasn't a bad read. It took me longer then usual to read and finish it. I understand the concept of the book, focusing on the main character, Ben, and how he coped with his wifes murder and not helping his children during this time when they needed him the most. His mother moved in, taking over the role of raising the kids. After years of being estranged from them, they slowly make small efforts to become involved in each others lives again. I would've liked to of read more about the family perhaps discussing what had happened, how they had become so estranged throughout the years. They blamed him for not being there for them, not raising them, but letting the grandmother do that. I do like how he slowly came to having faith, perhaps to come to some sort of understanding of why things happened they way they did. I also like how his one daughter, Erin, who wanted nothing to do with him at all, started coming around at the end and accepting him into her life again. It wasn't that he didn't care for his children and grandchildren, it was as if without his wife, he didn't know how to. Didn't know how to be a father. This was a long read, but would've liked to have read more about him and his new faith and him possibly finding happiness once again.
August 20, 2009
I really enjoy Langston Turner's books. They are engaging stories filled with real life people just trying to make sense of God's world. She simply and clearly shows the challenges to living a Christian life, yet at the same time being a living testimony to non-Christians. This book deals with living life in the pain of losing someone you love. Also how the choices we make, whether selfish or not, affect others around us. This book didn't disappoint me, keeping me intrigued up to the end.
January 9, 2010
it wasn't too bad of a book. there was a lot of useless information, though. turner is the kind of author that tells us exactly what the character is doing, when. or how firm the grapes that the character is eating are. which would account for the thickness of the book. reminds me of meyer's books.
too perfect of an ending. makes it seem like money is nothing. but maybe .. maybe that's just how it is for some people.
just another christian book.
too perfect of an ending. makes it seem like money is nothing. but maybe .. maybe that's just how it is for some people.
just another christian book.
August 27, 2015
This book was long....and I probably should have stopped reading at page 100, but something made me keep reading. It took me over a month to read because it was not an easy book to read. Written as a narrative with very little dialogue, it was wordy, but those words "made" the book. The ending left me with a warm feeling, although it also left threads hanging, I felt. I'm really not sure how to describe the book or how I felt about it. Had to give a 3 stars though.
August 25, 2016
Contemporary Christian fiction
Interesting characters with believable problems. Although this not really a murder mystery, one character has an interest in both movies and unsolved mysteries and the reader is subject to the characters obsession. I skipped over most of those pages. Still, the other situations and development were above average and deserves more than three stars. This could make for a good book club discussion.
Interesting characters with believable problems. Although this not really a murder mystery, one character has an interest in both movies and unsolved mysteries and the reader is subject to the characters obsession. I skipped over most of those pages. Still, the other situations and development were above average and deserves more than three stars. This could make for a good book club discussion.
March 26, 2015
I loved this book! It was like taking an interesting but leisurely drive. There are plot-driven books and character-driven books. This is definitely character driven and I grew to love the characters with each reading. It's a life book-- a chance to peek inside people's lives and see what they are like.
May 31, 2009
Oh, how I love this author's work! I love the way she depicts God's sovereignty moving through our lives, working His will in His perfect way and in His perfect timing. I am humbled and chastened, inspired and encouraged, by this reminder!
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July 25, 2010Once again, Jamie Langston Turner has written a wonderful read. I truly enjoy her peaks into people's lives and the gentle way she goes about immersing the reader into their worlds. I find her writing thought provoking and intelligent. She is definitely one of my favorite writers.
September 28, 2012
My favorite Christian fiction author, but not my favorite one of hers. I do hope, though, that this means more books on this fictional family. I didn't feel as if all the loose strings were tied by the end so I'm taking that as a sign that there's more to come.
December 17, 2014
Great book
I always enjoy this author's books. She does a great job of developing the characters. I really like the different characters in the story. I love how small actions by people can affect others in such a big way.
I always enjoy this author's books. She does a great job of developing the characters. I really like the different characters in the story. I love how small actions by people can affect others in such a big way.
September 30, 2016
Great read, what you expect from Jamie Langston Turner
Great book. Contemplative story with a subtle Christian message. Jamie Langston Turner never disappoints, her writing is outstanding and the is book is no exception.
Great book. Contemplative story with a subtle Christian message. Jamie Langston Turner never disappoints, her writing is outstanding and the is book is no exception.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews