Leaving Darkness by Greg Schaffer Book Review and Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

- February 22, 2019

ABOUT THE BOOK

Long-haul truck driver Lowell Ferguson is on the brink of suicide. He is haunted by the guilt of a horrible secret from his senior year of high school. Therapy and antidepressants aren’t able to lift him out of depression. At twenty-eight years old, he believes his life has dissolved into a meaningless annoyance. Only the strong bond with his lone friend—a Chihuahua named Rufus—keeps him from choosing death. But when Lowell learns Rufus may have cancer, he fears there will be no reason left to live if his beloved dog dies.

While awaiting the diagnosis, he comes across a flier for a Christian support group promising hope and freedom. A skeptic and an apatheist, he nonetheless reluctantly decides to join the group. Through this joining, he finds what he has been yearning for—a path toward leaving the darkness of depression. This first step provides Lowell the courage to do what he must to escape his guilt and finally confront his past.

Title: Leaving Darkness

Author: Greg Schaffer

Genre: Christian Fiction

Release date: October 31, 2018

Click here to purchase your copy.

MY BOOK REVIEW

Leaving Darkness touches on dark topics including suicide and depression. The story is about Lowell Ferguson, a 28-year-old truck driver, who is dealing with the guilt of a secret event from his senior year in high school. Nothing is helping him get out of his dark depression. He has tried everything, but nothing is working. The only person keeping him alive is his Chihuahua named Rufus but learns that Rufus might have cancer. While waiting for the diagnosis, he comes across a flyer for a Christian support group. Ferguson doesn’t believe in the whole God and Jesus things but still decides to go. Throughout the book, we see Ferguson's journey from the darkness of his depression to the light of God.

It is hard reading stories about suicide and depression especially if you know someone who is struggling or who have died from depression. I believe our society does not look at these topics in the correct way. Suicide is a symptom of depression it isn’t something people just do. Depression messes with the chemistry in your brain and makes you think things that aren’t true. Suicide isn’t a bad thing. For example, we don’t blame people who are chain smokers and died from lung cancer as bad.

Suicide isn’t always the answer, but sometimes the disease of addiction and/or depression causes the symptom of suicide to become very strong. Then there are people who suffer from severe debilitating chronic pain. We don’t make our animals suffer. Just food for thought.

This story really hit home to me because I have recently been dealing with a good friend who tried to commit suicide. I don’t agree with Christians saying people who commit suicide will go to Hell. That is 100% false. As someone who sees the other side and has been to the other side (not because of suicide) knows for a fact that there is no Hell especially for people who commit suicide. I think it is 100% cruel telling their love ones their daughter or son, mother or father, grandmother or grandfather will be going to Hell because their depression killed themselves. Therefore, I get really frustrated with religion.

Another topic Leaving Darkness talks about is forgiveness. We need to let go of things from the past and move forward. We spend so much time on our failures of the past we lose out on the time we have now.

Greg Schaffer did an amazing job of telling Lowell Ferguson’s journey of dealing with depression, forgiveness, loneliness, anxiety, and fear. It has shown how important friendships, relationships, and family are in helping you get through tough times in life.

I enjoyed this book even with dark topics, but it sure did show there is light at the end of the tunnel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Greg Schaffer participated in a small Christian-based group ministry in 2011 and became a facilitator with the ministry to help others find their direction toward a purposeful life. His firsthand experiences of lives transformed through such healing groups led him to write Leaving Darkness, hoping the tale of transformation through God’s grace may encourage those lost in their own darkness to reach out for help. The author of two previous novels, Greg lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife and three rescue dogs.

A GUEST POST FROM GREG:

As first a group participant and then a volunteer for Restore Small Groups for many years, I’ve seen firsthand the healing power of small group ministries. Many want to change but don’t know how. Leaving Darkness tells the fictional story of one lost in depression to the point of contemplating suicide who happens upon such a Christian-based ministry. Although he is reluctant at first, he gives the process a chance, and through it leaves his darkness, finds his faith, and becomes the person God meant for him to be. I was called to write this story in hope that someone with similar struggles may read Leaving Darkness and realize that there is a way out of the darkness when everything else has failed.