The Last Sin Eater

      BOOK REVIEW:    "The first time I saw the sin eater was the night Granny Forbes was carried to her grave."   Cadi Forbes knows it's forbidden, that it will bring curses down on her. But something deep and instinctive moves her to look upon the sin eater anyway. And now the thought of finding him again consumes her.
      According to custom, only the sin eater can set her free from the sin that plagues her days and nights, the sin that has stolen her mother's love from her. . . . Must she carry her guilt forever? Or is there Another who will atone for her?
      A skillful blend of realistic characters, historical accuracy, and compelling mystery, The Last Sin Eater is a story that will move the heart and spirit.
      AUTHOR'S NOTE:  The sin eater was a person who was paid a fee or given food to take upon himself the moral trespasses of the deceased and their consequences in the afterlife. Sin eaters were common in the early nineteenth century in England, the Lowlands of Scotland, and the Welsh border district. This custom was carried over by immigrants to the Americas and practiced in remote areas of the Appalachian Mountains. This is a purely fictional story of one such person.

      MY REVIEW:     It took me a bit to get into this book, but as the story progressed and things began making sense, I started to enjoy it.  I also.........don't remember what I was going to say next. :)
      This story is the tale of ten-year-old Cadi who, while told not to, looked at the sin eater at her grandmother's burial. She was then consumed with the need to find him and ask him to take away the terrible sin she has been hiding. She embarks on her mission, though everyone tells her not to. On her journey, she meets several people who have been rather ostracized by the village and help her find her way.
       A mysterious stranger comes to the village, a man of God he is called. When Cadi finally finds the sin eater, he asks her to speak with this stranger then return to tell him what he says. But when Cadi hears what he has to say regarding the sin eater, she is sure the sin eater will not like it; that it will bring hurt and disappointment regarding the last several years.
      In the end, Cadi and Fagan--who goes on the journey with her--find out the truth of the sin eater, his role, and the animosity behind it. Then they go tell the village what they have found.
      I enjoyed this book once I got into it further. My first impression was that it was a little weird, but as the story grew and matured--and I caught the meaning--I really liked it.