Heaven Is Watching

Restoring Hope by Philippa Cleall is a powerful contemporary Christian novel about love, forgiveness, redemption and new beginnings. It is a beautiful story that warmed my heart and soul.

The setting is Wombat Valley in New South Wales. It is a charming small town where the leading lady flees to after years of domestic abuse. It is where her grandmother lived and where she feels safe to start again. “The dream she’d built from sorrow.” Our dreams are important; they give us a hope for the future.

A café is opened as she follows in her grandmother’s footsteps. It is a place of community. She was “building more than a café.” It is a place where the lost, the hurting and the vulnerable feel drawn to, and feel safe.

The grace that is received, is passed on to others. Words of encouragement that are planted into hearts, bud and blossom.

We meet characters who live out their faith. “She doesn’t push faith on others… she lives it.” People are drawn to those whose lives point to Jesus. They are not just hearers of the Word; they are doers of the Word too.

There is a group of women who have all suffered from domestic abuse. They learn about the power of forgiveness – what it is, and what it is not. They also learn that trust once gone, is not easily restored. It needs to be earnt.