Review: Beneath the Willow Tree by Abby Burrus

Beneath the Willow Tree by Abby Burrus

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Wow, what a powerful short story! I’ve always thought writing a shorter work would be difficult, given there’s so much less time to develop plot, characters, settings, etc., but Abby did such a great job!

This story is an allegory of salvation, told from the POV of a girl named Nova. Her fear and pain were very relatable and realistic, and the cruelty of her masters and mistress was so sad! I was a little confused about who the masters and mistress were specifically, but I definitely got the overall idea. I would’ve like to hear a little bit more about Nova’s background, but I thought she was a great MC that was very representative of a person lost in sin. Her encounters with the Man were quite beautiful and true. How the author presented salvation as something that also comes with problems was really noteworthy. Our salvation is completely free and paid for with Christ’s Blood, but we’re still going to have problems after we’re saved, and fighting the battle for living the life God has called us to is not easy.

Overall, this was a well-done allegory, and I think it could’ve even been extended! I would’ve loved to see how Nova’s new life played out after she was saved. (After the scene with that awful ruler dude, I feel like it could be intense, but definitely realistic. But then again, this is a short story, and it ended on an amazing note.) This is a lovely story that tells the most wonderful Truth all over again. I’m looking forward to reading more from Abby in the future.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.