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Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite
Sometimes the deepest wounds are the ones no one else can see. In House of Wind by Laura DeNooyer, Wendi Burkham has been married for sixteen years to Rod, a respected pastor whose public image is very different from the man she knows at home. Behind closed doors, he constantly criticizes her, questions her decisions, twists situations, and makes her question herself. Their children, Julia and Christopher, are also beginning to feel the effects of his behavior. After Wendi finally starts saying no and standing up to Rod, the tension in their household grows worse, and she realizes something has to change. She takes the kids and moves into a place owned by her longtime friend Vivian, where she unexpectedly finds Garrett Broekhuis, the handyman renovating the property, already living there. Meanwhile, Wendi must deal with Rod’s attempts to regain control, church leaders who don’t fully understand the emotional abuse she has been experiencing, and her own doubts about whether leaving was the right thing to do. Can Wendi find the courage to trust herself again and reclaim the life she lost?
I really felt for Wendi while reading House of Wind by Laura DeNooyer. The author did a very good job of showing how damaging psychological abuse can be. Rod knew how to twist things around until his wife questioned her own memories, decisions, and even her judgment. I appreciated that she didn’t suddenly become fearless once she left. She kept second-guessing herself, which added to how realistic her character seemed. DeNooyer’s writing helped me see Wendi’s confusion and how years of manipulation had affected her sense of who she was. I thought the title was clever, and I understood its connection to the story. To me, the wind represents the turmoil in Wendi’s life, especially with Rod repeatedly warning her that standing up to him will only create a storm. The image of the house surrounded by threatening weather on the cover also seemed perfect for that idea. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” Those words reminded me of Wendi because she kept moving forward even while struggling with uncertainty. This isn’t always an easy story to read, but it deals with a form of domestic abuse that people may not recognize as quickly as physical violence. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for Christian fiction that tackles difficult real-life issues and explores healing, faith, and finding the resilience to reclaim your voice.
