Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

Keeping Faith is about so much more than a little Jewish girl who gets stigmata.

It is about the relationships we have with people. It's about mothers and daughters. Husbands and wives and the relationship we have with ourselves.

Mariah and seven year old Faith catch Collin having an affair. It isn't the first time and this time he is leaving. Mariah is in deep despair and then her daughter starts talking to her '"guard" and providing religions information that she would have no knowledge of as religion is neither practiced or discussed in the home.

Collin is convinced that Mariah is having a set back (she was institutionalized seven years prior when he had another affair) and he starts legal proceeding to gain full custody of Faith.

The media gets a hold of information regarding a little girl who has stigmata and Ian Fletcher a self proclaimed atheist and television personality make it his mission to show that these miracles and stigmata are a farce.

The stories weave together and the characters teach readers about forgiveness and kindness.

This book is not heavy on religion which is a good thing or I would have given up rather quickly. It took a bit to get into the book but once I did it was worth it. I remember liking it a lot more the first time I read it but I felt as though I had a better understanding of the characters and what they were going through. The title, "Keeping Faith" means so many things and this time around I was able to see that and explore it. Be prepare to dislike characters and struggle at times with the story.