Lone Star Book Blog Tour: All In by L.K. Simonds (Review)

“What’s it like to want all the right things?”

ALL IN by L.K. Simonds is a literary wonderland of metafiction, symbolism, and imagery. Cami Taylor is almost 30, hails from Phoenix, lives in New York City, and is writing her second novel on the heels of her first bestseller. Cami is like everyone else on the planet. She is both ordinary and unique. She is a successful author, an only child of parents who were not young when she was born, an ex-blackjack dealer, and promiscuous. She currently loves Joel and enjoys their relationship, but unlike him, she is not ready to attach those strings. What’s a girl to do? Cami warily heads into therapy but without the open-minded conviction that it will do any good.

Cami Taylor is also an agnostic. Her spiritual journey throughout ALL IN may not fit the mold of the standard Christian Fiction or imitate what many Christians have experienced in their own journey, but her sojourn is a valid one—slow and subtle before becoming completely chaotic and frenetic. L.K. Simonds brilliantly illustrates through Cami that there certainly must be more than one road to Damascus. Cami’s experience is raw and laden with wreckage and heartache, but it is hers and hers alone and thus beautifully authentic.

When a distant relative contacts her and wants to connect, Cami reluctantly agrees. Kate is an older cousin who is warm and inviting, and she is an integral part of the overall story. When Cami receives some life-shattering news, she retreats to Dallas, Texas, and into Kate’s welcoming, unconditional embrace. While Cami is the protagonist here, Kate must not be overlooked for what she represents. She is a wife and mother, but she also epitomizes the very essence of Christianity—faith, hope, love, tolerance, patience, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Moreover, Kate embodies the dichotomy of the biblical Martha and Mary in that she both serves and listens. With Cami, Kate easily knows when to advance and when to retreat, always with open arms and gentle hands that soothe, guide, and catch Cami when she dramatically falls and steady her when she rises from the ashes.

The dynamic Christian conversion story is weaved throughout this highly entertaining novel, and the ending may catch readers off guard and leave them wide eyed and filled with whatever emotion they are willing to receive—wonder, skepticism, acknowledgement, disbelief, or perhaps even hope.

For a debut novel, Simonds knocks it out of the literary park. The pacing is moderate, and the prose lures you into Cami’s edgy existence. While all the characters are intricately portrayed, Cami is, of course, the main attraction. She is agonizingly flawed, cynical, and often infuriating, yet she is also touchingly vulnerable, especially when her internal protective barrier begins to crumble, and her proverbial path to spiritual enlightenment becomes illuminated.

If you appreciate evocative literary fiction that sparks conversation, debate, and maybe even some self-reflection, then ALL IN by L.K. Simonds is the perfect book for you.