Reflection on these testimonies is then offered by a variety of commentators, mainly clergy.
Some of the testimonies are powerful and inspiring; you can’t read about someone surviving rape and then reconciling with the perpetrator without being deeply touched. Survival is described positively, and we read of how lives were regained and resentment dropped. Some of the stories are not so well chosen, however – one doesn’t seem to mention forgiveness at all.
The reflections also seem a little irrelevant and intrusive, as who can, or should, pass comment on personal stories of this kind in a way that is meaningful?
Against the Odds is not for those of a staunchly evangelical persuasion; sympathy for Buddhism is expressed and there are sparse mentions of scripture and God. Perhaps that makes this book more suitable for an unchurched readership, but even then it doesn’t really explain the help that God offers in the task of forgiveness.
