Fireproof

Eric Wilson’s book Fireproof is actually based off of the Kendrick brothers screenplay of the same title.

Firefighter Captain Caleb Holt has always been good at his job, he never leaves a man behind, but his marriage is another story. After seven years of marriage Caleb and Catherine just aren’t feeling it anymore. Constantly arguing or simply not talking to each other the two are ready to divorce. When Caleb talks to his father about what’s going on he asks his son to wait forty days, because he’s got something to try.

The Love Dare enters the picture. Each day there is a task to try, simple things like don’t say anything mean to your significant other for the day. Caleb half-asses it until about halfway through when he realizes that there is so much more to winning his wife back then he realized.

In the end of course the two live happily ever after and such.

My thoughts:

Before anything else I have to say this. I did not realize that this book was considered christian fiction until after I had started reading it. If I had known I might have avoided the book. Funny how things work out. While I tend to shy away from religious books unless I’m trying to learn about them from an academic standpoint, I actually really enjoyed Fireproof. I didn’t feel like I was being told that I need to start going to church and accepting god on the church’s terms in my life. That is what has a tendency to scare me away from religious fiction.

As far as Caleb and Catherine’s relationship goes, it was very believable. So many marriage’s these days take the exact path that theirs was on and seeing a couple trying to salvage their marriage was nice. While I found myself really bothered by Catherine’s actions and doubts and the way that she let her friends talk her into believing something that was completely untrue, it shows that her husband really did love her, especially after he gave up something huge. A point in the win column for Catherine’s character is certainly in order for the devotion she shows to her parents.

There’s some good firefighter action in the book as well as lots of family problems and dealing with said problems. The religious aspect of the book didn’t overpower everything else which is good. All and all, an enjoyable book and certainly something I see myself going back to for a rainy day read.