A long-time believer in the power of story to change lives, Amy K. Sorrells is an award-winning author and columnist, as well as a registered nurse at a busy hospital. Her novel Before I Saw You (Tyndale House) was inspired in part by her work with newborn and adult victims of the opioid epidemic, as well as the story of Moses’ birth mother. In this interview, the author shares why her novel tackles such serious issues, the importance of talking openly about our struggles, and how her faith impacts her stories…
Amy, you tackle some seriously subject matter in Before I Saw You. What inspired you to write this novel?
Two main themes inspire all of my novels: 1) a topic, social situation, or current event that breaks my heart, and 2) parallels to that situation I discover in nature.
Overarching all of that is one question: How does God redeem the pain in the midst of these situations?
Before I Saw You is no exception, except it is a little unique because it was inspired by not one but two heartbreaking topics I used to loosely re-tell the story of Moses’ birth mother, Jochebed in contemporary times.
First, while researching the journeys of mothers who choose adoption for their children, I discovered the often silent, emotional burden of birthmothers. The misunderstanding they face, as well as the guilt, grief and extraordinary sacrifice many of them make is indeed heartbreaking. Moreover, I realized that the miraculous work the Lord accomplishes through that sacrifice is woefully under-recognized.
The second inspiration for this story is the opioid epidemic, which I chose to use as a rough, modern-day parallel to the threats against Moses that forced Jochebed to place him in the river and entrust him to the Lord. As a registered nurse who has practiced at the bedside of premature babies, children, and adults for nearly 25 years, I have seen the rise of the tragic devastation of the opioid epidemic in people of all ages and socioeconomic levels, but especially in those from small towns and who are economically marginalized.
The parallel theme I discovered and used in nature is the plight of the ash trees—being killed off in overwhelming numbers by the emerald ash borer—in North America. I felt like this was a perfect parallel to the opioid epidemic sweeping the nation.
As with many epidemics, the damage starts small and insignificant. But once it starts it attacks often the most innocent, and combatting the spread feels insurmountable.
And yet, the Lord is showing up in various ways in the midst of both of these situations, as he does for the characters in Before I Saw You. I also created a character, Sudie, who is a certified wildlife rehabilitator, to bring even more nature parallels of how God watches out over “the least of these” into the story.
As with my other novels, I used the birthmother and opioid epidemic themes, as well as the ash trees and wildlife rehabilitation, to create what I hope is a testimony and a story-prayer for readers.
The book includes a guide to help readers discuss the book. How important is it for readers to talk about these issues?
I believe one of the biggest roadblocks to bringing light to the dark places of the world is silence. When we don’t talk about problems and struggles, we don’t understand them. We don’t understand each other.
One of the most powerful ways I have seen this happen with Before I Saw You is that when I talk with readers about the themes, the most common response it, “Me too.” Knowing we are not alone—whether addiction, grief, guilt, abuse, or any number of heartaches—is half the battle.
Even if we cannot relate to the heartache of someone else, we can all certainly relate to the way that the Lord shows up in the midst of that pain. We all have a story of how God has redeemed and restored heartbreaking events in our lives.
When we talk about and share those stories, we bring light into the dark places others feel they cannot escape. And that’s a beautiful, blessed thing.
If the reader doesn’t have a book discussion group already, what’s the best way to start one?
Book discussion groups can be started in so many unique ways, especially at this time of technological connection. Invite friends on Facebook to read the book and discuss it online.
Once when my children were young, and it was hard to get out of the house, I led a Bible study primarily through email. I get invited to speak to a lot of book clubs that are started by individuals in churches, so that’s a great place to find friends to read with as well.
What are the challenges of writing about ideas while still serving the needs of the story?
Because my books are inspired by real-life situations, the temptation is to be too didactic in my writing. Metaphor and nature parallels really help me construct stories that focus on the heart of my characters, rather than the point I’m trying to make.
I can only hope that I succeed. No one likes to be preached at unless they’re at church, after all.
How does your faith impact your storytelling?
Without my faith, I would not have hope. Without my faith, my characters would not have hope, either. And so, faith is absolutely central to the creation of each of my stories.
Before I Saw You and How Sweet the Sound were both loosely inspired by Bible stories (Jochebed and Moses, and Tamar in 2 Samuel 13, respectively), so those plots were a little easier to navigate and infuse with faith.
At the same time, discovering ways to incorporate faith into the lives of the characters in Lead Me Home and (soon to be re-released) Then Sings My Soul facilitated a faith-journey of my own as I wrote them.
Of course I write to change the lives of my readers. However, often the biggest heart changes come within me as I learn to extend grace and forgiveness to characters that sometimes I feel don’t deserve it.
Sometimes I really struggle with finding the hope in the tragic situations I write about, too. Sometimes we have to wrestle with God and with ourselves to find hope, and storytelling is no exception. But hope does show up. And eventually love does win.
Visit Amy K. Sorrell’s author page:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/amy-sorrells/
Before I Saw You
Amy K. Sorrells
Tyndale House