When Hearts Break: An Amish Story of Abuse, Love, and Healing

Jerry Eicher — retired Mennonite minister, business owner and author — discusses his novel When Hearts Break, a literary Amish drama that confronts childhood sexual abuse, the long road to healing, and the moral complexities of community life. The episode covers Eicher's critique of Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love, his intent to depict realistic pathways to recovery rather than institutional collapse, and the book’s structure: alternating first-person narratives from sisters Barbara and Lily set in an Indiana Amish community. Key characters discussed include Walter, Aunt Maud, Mrs. Emmett, Robert, and Lily's son Jackson. Listeners can expect close readings of pivotal scenes (Barbara’s washline moment of healing, Lily’s escape and renewal, Robert’s confession), themes of love, truth, and grace amid darkness, and background on the book’s publication and where to find it (Amazon and jerryeicher.com).