Robin Jones Gunn is a prolific and award-winning author of Christian fiction and, obviously, a seasoned traveler. Her newest, Tea with Elephants, is the first in her Suitcase Sisters series and features Fern and Lily, long-time best friends.
The pair met at summer camp several decades ago when the dreams of youth were bright with adventure and faraway places. Life, however, has brought them both to a crossroads. Lily, who traded her dreams of adventure for marriage and family life, is wondering what she missed. Fern, who turned a summer internship into a career in publishing, just lost her job of 20 years.
Now the friends are taking advantage of a free trip to Kenya where they go on safari, experience a new culture, and spend lots of time thinking through where they’ve been and where they want to go. The vistas and mysteries of Kenya are on full display thanks to Gunn’s beautiful descriptions, and the animals the travelers meet are almost like characters in the book.
Readers will learn from the friendship between Lily and Fern, who love God and each other first, listen to each second, and advise third. They help each other process their lives, as well as see what the future could hold. This is a beautiful novel of friendship, as well as a lovely homage to the African country of Kenya. (Revell)