Broken Angel
Sigmund Brouwer
Review by Tracy Kokemuller
“We had agreed-the woman I loved and I-that as soon as you were born,
we would perform an act of mercy and decency, and wrap you in a towel
to drown you in a nearby sink of water.” This is a quote from the
first line of Broken Angel and from there I was hooked. This is
the story of Caitlyn and her father Jordan. Caitlyn has grown up
in Appalachia where free will is taken away from the citizens living
there. The people are ruled by an oppressive group of elders
known as Bar Elohim. Bar Elohim moniters and records every move
of each citizen on a device called a vidpod, but this only represents a
fraction of the control and cruelty the elders place upon the people of
Appalachia.
Caitlyn’s father decides they need to escape to a new place news as the
Outside, because he has been hiding the fact that she is unique in
order to protect her from the consequences of Bar Elohim. In the
Outside, her difference would be loved and appreciated, but it is a
dangerous and long path that leads to the Outside. Along the way,
Caitlyn meets people that help her escape, but she must avoid the
aggressive pursuit of a bounty hunter, who will stop at nothing to
capture and kill her. We meet a rich cast of characters,
including a young boy, who has also escaped oppression, and a sweet but
naïve sherrif’s deputy who is not what he seems.
Broken Angel is a fast-paced thriller but the story is developed more
because of its focus on a character with a strong heart. Caitlyn’s
character generates the energy and passion that drives this tale.
He also reveals that Caitlyn’s difference should be celebrated, just as
God shows us in the Bible.
I would have liked to have learned more about the Appalacian society
but the author’s main story was about Caitlyn’s escape, and the
encounters she has along the way. The author shows us a
world where free will is taken and life is instead imposed on a
society. People are not allowed to think and act for
themselves. It is easy to imagine yourself living in a world
where freedom to choose and think for yourself is gone. Someday our
society might face the impositions of government that the book
describes. Especially the one of monitering our every move.
There has been information in the news about face recognition software
that may one day be used everywhere. We are monitered now just
about every public place we go so the Vidpods in the story are not a
foreign concept.
There are lots of twists and turns as the readers maneuvers
through this saga to a tear-jerking, fullfiling conclusion. This
book is well written, and gives us lots to think about, including the
fact that God gives us free will to make choices.