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Epiphany

Stuart Land

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Aug 04, 2011 Loves To Dive rated it it was amazing

Prepubescent girls worldwide are showing up pregnant, all claiming to be virgins, and all claiming to have had no contact with boys.

In Africa, 13 year old Ayira Akilah Mukendi escapes with Peace Corp volunteer David Fifer. The tribal elders are convinced David is the one to have gotten her pregnant, and are determined to kill them both. In America, 11 year old Roshonda Williams is attending Girl Scout camp along with her best friend Kimber Enright and faints during a marshmallow roast. In Russi Prepubescent girls worldwide are showing up pregnant, all claiming to be virgins, and all claiming to have had no contact with boys.

In Africa, 13 year old Ayira Akilah Mukendi escapes with Peace Corp volunteer David Fifer. The tribal elders are convinced David is the one to have gotten her pregnant, and are determined to kill them both. In America, 11 year old Roshonda Williams is attending Girl Scout camp along with her best friend Kimber Enright and faints during a marshmallow roast. In Russia, Dr. Dimitri Sergeyevich Andronnikov gets a mysterious late night phone call informing him he must attend an early morning meeting that is of utmost importance. The next morning he drives to a small village where he finds six frightened girls and their mothers, soon discovering all six girls are pregnant.

Soon, Ayira and David, Dr. Dimitri and one of the girls Evgeniya, will end up being whisked away to the home of Dr. Dorina and Dr. Sam Enright, who are Kimber’s parents in America, to try to figure out how these girls became pregnant and what to do about it. Special Agent Edward Hogarty and Secret Service agent Laura Rodriquez, are added to this mixed group of people to will embark on the harrowing mission of trying to solve the mystery of the virgin pregnancies, and will become a family along the way.

One has to approach Mr. Land’s writing as you would a painting in a museum. You look at it from all angles, you look at it close up and at a distance, and you sit and ponder it for a while. You never just quickly glance at it and move along, you get up and walk away and come back and look again. The same happens with Mr. Land’s books, his words must be savored, studied, pondered, read and re-read, yes, you even get up and walk away to think and come back again. Epiphany is no exception to this. The characters are complex and simple at the same time, the plot is not straight forward, and there are surprises around every corner.

I found myself getting involved with Kimber and her parents immediately, I loved their by-play with each other, their love and strength as a family was obvious from the beginning, and I knew I was going to enjoy getting to know them. I didn’t take to some of the other members of this small family as quickly as others, Dr. Dimitri was difficult for me to get to know and I’m not sure I ever knew Special Agent Hogarty or David that well. The girls all had their own personalities and quirks, again, some easier to know and like than others. The story flowed along somewhat like a river, quickly at times and sometimes slow and lazy, causing me to stay alert so as not to miss anything.

This book is not going to appeal to all, as a matter of fact; I dare say some are going to be outright offended. It deals with controversial issues and comes to conclusions that might make a few readers angry. That aside, it’s obvious Mr. Land put his heart into the story; I couldn’t help but be drawn in, and truly didn’t know how it was going to end until it was over.

This is a book I’ll read again and again, because, like most good books, I’m sure I’ll see something new each time its read. Anyone who enjoys a good, intelligent, mystery/thriller/suspense should read this book. Beware, read it slowly, savor it like a good wine or a really expensive piece of chocolate, so you don’t miss Mr. Land’s genius for storytelling.

Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer

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Jul 27, 2011 Grammy 1 rated it it was amazing

Epiphany is quite a unique reading experience. The subject matter might be too controversial for some, too chilling for others. I must say after reading Mr. Land’s Shadow House and Original Blood, which are also two very different stories, Epiphany is certainly another road we travel with this wonderful storyteller. Enter into the mind of the creative Stuart Land.

As the mother of two daughters, I know that one of a mother’s worst nightmares, is the possibility of her young daughter coming home a Epiphany is quite a unique reading experience. The subject matter might be too controversial for some, too chilling for others. I must say after reading Mr. Land’s Shadow House and Original Blood, which are also two very different stories, Epiphany is certainly another road we travel with this wonderful storyteller. Enter into the mind of the creative Stuart Land.

As the mother of two daughters, I know that one of a mother’s worst nightmares, is the possibility of her young daughter coming home and saying she is pregnant. Stuart Land takes this nightmarish thought one chilling step further. What if pre-teen girls, from every corner of our world, were becoming pregnant without any sexual contact? Virgins, pregnant at 11 - 13 years old. From America, Africa, Russia we meet the children, parents and doctors fighting against the clock to solve this mystery.

We begin with an 11 year old from a village in Africa. Her name is Ayira. Her friend David is in the Peace Corps and lives in her village. He is going to be blamed for her pregnancy. She creeps to his campsite in the middle of the night. They must leave immediately before the elders come to kill them both. The pain of this child having to leave her home, her mother and her life has been written with great caring and insight. You can taste the fear and danger.

They make their escape through the jungle to the American Embassy and are flown back to the States. They are taken to meet Dr Sam Enright, OB/GYN, and his wife Dorinda a geneticist. They have just found their daughter is in the same position, as are other young girls in their town. They have no other choice as fear has led them to Homeland Security and the FBI is brought in. We flash to Russia and meet a learned Doctor there. He has been given orders to find out why girls in this area are getting pregnant. He actually holds a whole town almost hostage trying to find ‘the culprit,’ finding the girls are getting pregnant anyway. He is brought to America with one of the Russian girls to work with this team.

Who is the villian,??? and how and why is this happening??? You feel the fear, pain and torment of these children and families trying to decipher this secret. They huddle together against all odds. The story is an excellent depiction of human nature, adding fear of the unknown to the mixture. Epiphany is poignant, with heart and family values ever-present, yet shocking in its ideology. I laughed and cried connecting with the children and the families. You cannot stop thinking that Mr. Land has laid the gauntlet down to mankind to take a good look at themselves.

As I said when I began this review, This book is quite an undertaking for both the reader and the author. It is not a simple read. It might make you question your beliefs, some might feel this powerful read might be too controversial, but this reviewer found it to be a 5 Star read. Bravo Stuart Land.

Review by Gloria Lakritz

Senior Reviewer and Review Chairperson for the Paranormal Romance Guild
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Jul 29, 2011 Stuart Land rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: my-published-books

Aug 09, 2011 Karla Mercer marked it as to-read

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