Surviving Carmelita


Christian - Fiction
216 Pages
Reviewed on 03/27/2021
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite

Surviving Carmelita by Susan Miura is a Christian novel that deals with loss and spiritual renewal. The main protagonist, Josie Caruso, narrates her dramatic descent into doubting her personal relationship with God after a tragic accident tests her faith. On a Halloween night, as she drives her daughter home along a foggy road, a flash of white interrupts her focus. She slams the brakes and thinks of what she just hit. She then hears the voice of her best friend, Ana. A sharp cry of grief follows that wrenches Josie’s gut, as her daughter, Ashley, from the backseat asks her what just happened. This moment changes everything in Josie’s life, as she begins to live shrouded with guilt. As if this is not enough, she learns that her teenage son plans to run away. She takes temporary leave for the benefit of the people she loves, that they might heal faster in her absence. But what she is trying to run away from seems to find its way to her, as her name rings a bell to a pastor who attended the funeral of a beloved niece who died after being hit with a car.

Susan Miura tends to wax poetic in heightening the drama. She finds her own constellation of images that revolves around Josie’s thoughts and feelings about accidentally killing Carmelita. The loss surrounding Carmelita’s untimely death supplies Miura with metaphors that weave the plot’s tension and pacing. You only need to read how her imagery builds suspense at the tragic scene of the accident. From there, everything within Josie’s perception becomes saturated by guilt that shapes her choices along the way. A dead child is a haunting element that shapes Josie’s vision. In doing so, it effectively delivers a message that self-blame can keep you from being able to function. In the end, you learn that it makes more sense to face outcomes than to indulge in blame and self-pity. Surviving Carmelita is an inspiring tale about dealing with death and the transition from guilt to healing.