The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker

"The Choosing" by Rachelle Dekker, is a dystopian novel set in the future after the Ruining. Carrington Hale never imagined her Choosing would turn out this way. She spent her whole life practicing for nothing, and now she'll spend the rest of her life as a Lint, the lowest level of society.According to the Authority, she is worth nothing and has virtually no purpose. When Carrington is offered the chance of a lifetime and the opportunity to start a new life, will she be able to find her identity?

I absolutely loved "The Choosing!" I have always been a huge fan of her father, Ted Dekker. (I mean, I was even a member of the Forest Guard and yes, that is a real thing!). So naturally, I knew Rachelle's book would be great, but I never expected it to be just as good as her father's books. I was so wrong. Her writing is flawless and full of action, which made it nearly impossible to put down. I love how she developed the characters throughout the book so that you felt like you were actually a part of the story. "The Choosing" is the perfect mix of mystery, suspense and a little bit of romance. I would highly recommend this book!

I rate this book as 5 stars. I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

About the Author . . . The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. She graduated with a degree in communications and spent several years in marketing and corporate recruiting before making the transition to write full-time. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat, Blair. Visit her online at rachelledekker.com.

1. How did you come up with the story for The Choosing? This is a hard question because it has many answers. I wanted to write a theme-based novel about identity. I wanted to write a dystopian novel. I wanted to write in a world that was familiar, but in a setting where I could change the way the world worked. It actually is several ideas I’d been toying with pulled into one story. Once I landed on Carrington’s core revelation and story arc, I simply fell in love with her as a character and drew the rest of the story around her. That’s usually how it works for me. I come up with a character, good or bad, and create the story from there.

2. You based your main character, Carrington, off of your younger sister. In what ways is Carrington like her? It’s more the beliefs that Carrington struggles with that remind me of my sister. The idea of worth, of not feeling like you’re enough, or questioning whether anyone would choose you. Carrington came about as I spent time with my sister and her college-age friends and saw that a large majority of them were searching for significance, searching for worth—none more than my sister at the time.

3. One of the story’s most significant lines is, “Life is a journey of remembering and forgetting.” What do you mean by this? It means exactly what you probably think. We have these flashes of clarity where we see so clearly who we are—and our connection to the Father—but then, in a single moment, something pulls our attention away and we forget who we are. This is the journey of life, remembering and forgetting. But I believe the more we remember, the more we set our gaze on the Father, the less often we forget.

4. What is it like being Ted Dekker’s daughter? Did your father help you with the writing process? Being Ted’s daughter is wonderful! He’s the best, but then I hope many daughters feel that way about their fathers. He is a bit of a mystery, though. Sometimes, even sitting at the dinner table, I can tell he’s lost in thought, and I wonder what it might be like to have his mind. It’s been a blessing to watch him write and struggle with writing, so that now when I struggle I have an understanding ear to talk off. He is always willing to talk me through the emotional and mental side of writing (which is where the biggest battles lie in wait) but as far as story, for the most part he lets me fend for myself. It’s always been important to me to write through my challenges on my own. To figure out scenes alone. In fact, he didn’t even read The Choosing until I was already in conversations with Tyndale about publication. I think that’s because he wanted me to believe I could do it on my own. But when I doubt my ability as a writer, and when I forget who I am, he is the one I call. And he reminds me that life is a journey of remembering and forgetting, and helps me in remembering once again.