Seventy Times Seven

Suddenly something clicked in his mind. He opened his Bible and nervously paged through it again until he came upon the two verses that had so attracted his attention before.
“Then came Peter and said, ‘Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?’ Jesus saith unto him, ‘I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.’”
He moaned. “Oh, Lord, I can’t!” He looked up toward the ceiling as if he were gazing strait through it to Heaven’s portals. “It’s too hard! Ask me to do anything else, Lord, but I can’t forgive him!”

Seventy Time Seven

Seventy Times Seven is one of those obscure books that everyone should know about. From the first paragraph to the last, the constant conflict, tension, and tragedy kept me turning pages. I read the entire thing in a day.

Plot

Ever since his biological father died, Peter Andrews has been forced to live with his abusive stepfather. Peter’s stepfather hates him, constantly abusing him emotionally and physically. He longs for the day when he can be out on his own, but leaving his beloved mother and “Nanna” behind is out of the question.

The tension ramps up until Peter calls his stepfather a heretic while the latter is delivering a sermon. After a tearful goodbye to his only loving family members, he must flee for his safety. He finds a new home in a rescue mission, and there his life changes forever.

A recurring oddity of the Christian fiction books I’ve read is the placement of the climax. Not My Will has the climax in the middle, and the second half is resolution. In His Steps places the climax in the first chapter. The climax of this book is harder to pin down, but it’s no later than halfway through. This results in a section of the book that has no goal and reads more like a fictional biography than anything else.

Don’t get me wrong—those scenes kept me turning pages with their relentless twists, but they forgot the story’s purpose and caused it to meander around. It may have been more powerful if it focused on one thing all the way through.

The plot itself is superb. While not extraordinarily complex or large in scope, every chapter presents new complications.

And the ending…it’s amazing. I can’t say much for fear of spoilers, but it’s among my favorites.

Characters

If ever a book built sympathy for its characters, Seventy Times Seven is that book. From the very beginning to the end, abuse, discouragement, and tears are all that lay in store for Peter. He is, primarily, what kept me hooked.

It seemed to me that the author spends so much time throwing obstacles at the character that we don’t get a close look at his personality. Still, I can’t say that he was flat or boring.

The book also introduces conflict between the characters, retaining realism. Even the closest of characters get into arguments.

Theme & Content Warnings

The primary theme of Seventy Times Seven, obvious from the title, is forgiveness. Peter has to overcome his resentment and forgive his stepfather for all the pain he’s caused him.

Surprisingly, Peter forgives his father early on, the issue only coming up a few times after that. I would expect him to struggle with the forgiveness until the climax, in which he finally forgives his father, but that is not the case.

A secondary theme is the truth that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” Tragedy after tragedy rocks Peter’s life, and he must recall the verse to mind to keep from growing bitter.

The story also touches on faithfulness in the ministry and how to deal with people disappointing you.

The story contains two presentations of the gospel—one extended and clear, the other simplified, coming from a child.

Overall

I could hardly turn the pages fast enough to get through this book. As I’ve mentioned in other reviews of Christian fiction, the story elements I’ve come to expect are absent or abnormal, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.

I highly recommend this to everyone. Seventy Times Seven will keep you drawn in the entire time. Even the last third of the story, where the main goal is set aside and it becomes a biography, is full of tension.

I could only find this book used. The links below are the result of my searching.

If you found this review helpful, I’d appreciate it if you shared it with someone else and spread the word about the Benefield Bookmark. Have a great rest of the day!