A Flicker of Light is set in the small Montana town of Moose Creek, population 756, and features three generations of the same family.

Juniper (June) Jensen is sixty-three, and showing signs of early-onset dementia. Not that she knows that, but her husband and son have certainly noticed.

Bea Michaels finds out she is pregnant just as her husband loses his job. The logical decision is to go back to Moose Creek and stay with her father— the last thing she and her young husband want to do.

Mitch Jensen was none too happy when his daughter dropped out of college and got married. He’s even less happy to find the husband is now unemployed, living in his house, and not making any effort to find a real job. He’s also worried about his mother—something is wrong.

The story starts in June’s point of view, which is written in first person. I know some readers don’t like first person. If you’re one of those readers, I’d encourage you to keep reading, as the other two points of view (Bea and Mitch) are both written in the more common third person, and they are the main viewpoints.

A Flicker of Lights is a strong and thought-provoking family drama.

I once read that all great characters have a secret, and the characters in A Flicker of Lights certainly have secrets, and those secrets provide the basis for the novel.

It’s an easy read with no high angst (I don’t like angst for the sake of angst). But there are plenty of problems and plenty of emotion. There are real characters with  real problems – unemployment, unplanned pregnancy, death, dementia. But it’s through the problems that the characters grow emotionally and spiritually, reminding readers that there is always a way through the hard times, even if it doesn’t always look like what we’d expected.

A Flicker of Light doesn’t have the rose-coloured glasses of many novels set in small towns.

Bea especially is all too aware of the downsides of small-town living. But there are also moments of levity—a cat named Steve, the busybody neighbour, the small-town “moosevine”.

A Flicker of Light by @Katie_Powner is a Christian family saga that's realistic without being depressing, and ultimately uplifting. #ChristianFiction #BookReview Click To Tweet

I think that’s what I liked about it. It was realistic without being depressing. In fact, it was ultimately uplifting—which is what I want in a novel.

Recommended for readers looking for a realistic yet uplifting Christian novel that’s not a romance.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Katie Powner

Katie Powner is a lover of red shoes, Jesus, and candy. Not necessarily in that order. Passionate about reading books and writing books and talking about books and posting about books … She is an award-winning author who writes contemporary fiction about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home.

Katie lives in rural Montana where cows still outnumber people. She is a two-time OCW Cascade Award and ACFW First Impressions Award winner. Katie is a biological and adoptive mother of three and foster mother to many more. She and her husband have been in youth ministry for over a decade

Find Katie Powner online at:

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About A Flicker of Light

For generations, the Jensens have raised their families in the small Montana town of Moose Creek, where gossip spreads faster than the wind. Yet some secrets need to be told.

When twenty-one-year-old Bea discovers she’s pregnant on the heels of her husband losing his job, she’s forced to admit she needs help and asks her dad for a place to stay. But past resentments keep her from telling him all that’s going on.

Mitch Jensen is thrilled to have a full house again, though he’s unimpressed with Bea’s decisions: dropping out of college, marrying so young–and to an idealistic city kid, of all things. Mitch hopes to convince Bea to return to the path he’s always envisioned for her, but she’s changed since her mom died. And he refuses to admit how much he’s changed, too, especially now that he might be losing his mother as well.

Grandma June is good at spinning stories, but there’s one she’s never told. Now that her mind is starting to fade, her time to tell it is running out. But if she reveals the truth before her memories are gone forever, the Jensen family will never be the same.

You can find A Flicker of Light online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong