Pearl in the Sand is a book that I would recommend to a friend. It’s a look at the person Rahab from the Bible. Although in the Bible we only have glimpses of Rahab and who she was as a person Tessa Afshar, does an amazing job of writing a back story for her as well as a narrative as to how she is found in the family tree of Jesus. It is a story of redemption and love that shows, God is not waiting for you to be perfect but wants you just as you are, with all those things that are not pretty and that may be broken, he wants to make you whole and bring beauty out of something that was meant to destroy you. It also shows the love between Rahab and Salmon, two very different people that were brought together by the one real God.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Tessa Afshar for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

What a beautiful, beautiful re-telling of the story of Rahab, the Canaanite Harlot. The Bible was brought to life through this novel by Afshar. I have not had the pleasure of reading any other novels by this author, but I will definitely be going back to grab some other titles! I felt truly submerged in this Bible story, and I also loved how the key ideas of mercy, grace, and forgiveness were woven in throughout. I really couldn't put this down once I started it.

Thank you again to those named above for the chance to read and review this ARC!

Pearl in the Sand dives into the life of Rahab the Canaanite who was saved when the Israelites miraculously captured Jericho under the leadership of Joshua and who later ended up in the lineage of Christ. The Bible does not explicitly give details on details on her personal life except in mentioning her bravery. Tessa Ashfar paints a picture of a woman who longed for love and acceptance that she did not readily receive it from her family keener on survival drove her into a life of prostitution. Ashfar provides readers and lovers of Biblical fiction what may have taken place in Rahab's life before and after Jericho's downfall and she came to know the God of the Hebrews.

Ashfar's take on Rahab's life will captivate readers and will see probable ways in which God works in people's lives. After reading Pearl in the Sand, I was encouraged to revisit the book of Joshua in the Bible and see how the Israelites coped in the post-Moses era as well as glean leadership lessons from Joshua.

Since this is a galley copy of the 10th-anniversary edition, it was not indicated how it differed from the original version. Perhaps, they will be captured in the final print.

PEARL IN THE SAND by TESSA AFSHAR is a beautifully written novel telling Rahab's story. We start with Rahab being forced into a life of prostitution at the age of fifteen in order to save her family from starvation and financial ruin. We see how this devastated her, especially as she felt betrayed by her precious"Abba". We see how she felt unworthy and unloved, and how this affected her relationships with others and also how these feelings nearly destroyed her relationship with Salmone. We come to know Salmone too, as he struggles with his feelings for Rahab and we see how his pride as a leader of the Hebrews is nearly his downfall, thinking at first that a Canaanite prostitute is far beneath him. We see how he follows the letter of the Law as opposed to Rahab who has come to love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and longs to be accepted by His people.
Joshua sees Rahab's hunger for God and believes that the Lord has a special plan for her. She and her family are taught the many customs they need to follow and are accepted into the Israelite camp.
Salmone's sister Miriam befriends Rahab. Rahab feels she will never be as good as she is but Miriam says that no-one is perfect but the Lord God, and that she has learned much from Rahab about faith and the desire to be righteous in His sight. Rahab comes to understand that the Lord offers the same forgiveness of sin to the stranger taken in by the Israelites as He does to them, and this gives her great joy.
We see how beautifully the author brings in the lost pearl earring, slightly damaged, but still valuable in Rahab's eyes, to show her how valuable she is as a person, not only to her husband, but also to God.
There is so much scriptural truth in this book. The author has based the story on biblical events and has used the interaction of the characters to bring out the importance of forgiveness, humility, hunger for the things of the Lord and the joy of belonging in a body of believers. We see how important it is not to judge others and to show mercy even as we have been shown mercy by the Lord. We are reminded of the importance of the Passover, of obedience to the Lord's instructions and of a person's heart attitude when offering a sacrifice. The scarlet rope that covered Rahab and her family gets new meaning for her when compared to the blood of the sacrificial lambs. We see the miracle working power of God the Redeemer, not only in the miraculous victory at Jericho, but also in His redeeming power in the lives of His people. Nothing is too hard for the Lord!
I don't find that the poetic licence the author has used in this novel detracts in any way from the truth of the Bible, In fact I find she has brought it to light in the sensitive way in which she has told the story. I feel we can all take a great deal from this book to help us in our Christian walk - I know that I have!
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Moody Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.