January 17, 2005
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i am totally impressed by ted dekker. it takes a lot to impress me, but i’m impressed!
most people think a book is good when the storyline is so gripping they can’t put it down. yes, ted dekker does that. but what impresses me more is his remarkable ability to craft words together. it really is an art to be able to express a scene or a thought with subtlety and draw up vivid, unforgettable imagery.
now, i would not say that all his books are good. the first one of his i read was “thr3e“. yeah, you should DEFINITELY check that baby out. his most recent books seem to be more plot-driven though. his writing doesn’t seem as cleverly crafted.
BUT yesterday i picked up his first book and i’ve been savoring the writing ever since.
“…You take one hundred pounds of Christian meat, and I guarantee you that ninety-eight of those pounds are sucking up to the world. It’s tipping the scale right over, love.” She reached up and pulled at the wrinkly skin on her neck. Nasty habit.
“Maybe, but you really don’t have to use words like sucking to describe it. That’s what I’m talking about. And how many times have I told you not to pull on your neck like that?”
“It’s just flesh, Gloria. See?” Helen pinched the loose skin on her arms and pulled, sampling several patches. “See, just skin. Flesh for the fire. It’s what’s tipping the scales the wrong way.”
“Yes, but as long as you live in this world, there’s no need to walk around pulling your skin in public. People don’t like that.” If she didn’t know better, she would guess her mother senile at times.
“Well, this isn’t public, for one thing, dear…And for another thing, maybe if Christians went around pulling their skin or some such thing, people would actually know they were Christians. God knows you can’t tell now. Maybe we should change our name to the Skinpullers and walk around yanking on our skin in public. That would set us apart.”
Skinpullers! The suggestion was so ludicrous and imagery so good, it made me burst out laughing. I laughed and laughed, out loud, all by myself in my room last night! Oh, it was wonderful! A billion eprops to Ted Dekker, missionary-kid turned best-selling author. I wish I could write like you!
