Have you ever had a book that you couldn’t let go of? One that kept your eyes glued and your ears completely tuned out of the world around you? If you haven’t, look no further than Found by Karen Kingsbury. Driven by his wife’s dying wish - to find their first born son- John Baxter sets out in a desperate search to unite with his son again. When Dayne Matthews receives terrible news, he questions his adoptive parents faith and tries to search for answers. He is supported by a long-time friend and a girl he can’t get his mind off of, Katy Hart. Will the Baxters find their first son? Will Dayne find the peace he is looking for? Anyone who enjoys romantic, Christian fiction should read Found by Karen Kingsbury because of the many points of view, plot, and dramatic irony.

To begin, the third omniscient point of view is just one of several reasons why Found is a book that anyone who loves Christian fiction should read. The many different perspectives from the characters’ is what makes this book interesting, because you are able to know what the characters think and feel. It also allows you to get to know each of the characters more personally than you could if the book was written in third limited. For example, you can clearly see what Katy Hart, one of the main characters in the book, is feeling. “With all she was, she wanted to forget about Dayne Matthews. But he was as much a part of her as her next heartbeat” (Kingsbury 62). Another example of seeing what a character thinks is during Ashley Baxter Blake’s conversation with Katy. Kingsbury writes, “‘No...’ Anger flashed in Ashley’s eyes. ‘I saw how he looked at you, Katy. That guy couldn’t possibly love anyone the way he loves you. How could he...?’” (64). Here you can see how well the many points of view allow you to see what a character feels. Katy is trying to let go of Dayne, while Ashley is determined that the two are perfect together. A further reason why characters’ points of view make this book so great is because all of the characters are connected. You can clearly see this when Dayne Matthews, Hollywood’s heartthrob, is concerned about his birth family, the Baxters. “All the way to Indianapolis he’d thought about the Baxters” (158). Having so many characters connected to each other makes the reader feel like they are involved in one big family. Clearly, anyone who loves Christian fiction should read this book because of the many characters point of view.
Another reason anyone who enjoys Christian fiction should read Found is the gripping plot, more specifically, the climax. What makes the climax in this novel exciting is that it reels you into reading the next book in the series. The climax for Dayne Matthews’ point of view is when he and John Baxter, his birth father, make contact, and Dayne finally gets to meet him. First, John writes a letter to Dayne. He begins, “Dear Dayne, This is my final attempt” (295). “Every day since I found out about you I’ve wondered and thought of you” (295). He continues to explain that he had called Dayne’s agent several times, but was told that Dayne was not interested in his birth family. After reading John’s letter, Dayne decided to do something that would forever change his life. “ He dialed the numbers, and after four rings a voice came on the line - the voice of his father” (298). Though the voice on the other line was only a recorded message, Dayne and John eventually contacted each other and met. This climax makes you want to find out if Dayne ever really gets to become apart of the Baxter family in the next book of this series. Truly, those you enjoy Christian fiction should read this novel because of engaging turning point.

Lastly, anyone who reads Christian fiction should read Found because of the dramatic irony. Having the reader know more than the characters is why one continues to read. They want to know if the characters will finally be able to see everything that they already know. The boldest form of dramatic irony in this book is regarding the fact that Dayne Matthews is the Baxter family’s first born son. After trying to make contact with Dayne in several ways, John Baxter thinks that Dayne wants nothing to do with them. “No matter which trail his thoughts took, they always came around to that one sad truth: Dayne had known about the Baxters for more than a year and never once connected with any of them except Elizabeth” (48). Obviously the Baxters are incredibly discouraged; however, we already know from several places in the book, and the book before this one, that Dayne does want to connect with his birth family. He shows us that he cares about his family and wants to know them. “He often looked at the information from his private investigator, information that made him feel as if he knew the Baxters, even if he wasn’t part of them” (159). Undoubtedly, Dayne wanted to make contact with his family. Also, we already know that John Baxter has all, but given up hope after a long search. What he doesn’t know, though, is that Dayne wants to meet with him, making this dramatic irony suspenseful for the reader. Dayne later tells his father what held him back. “It would become public knowledge. The tabloids are ruthless. I promise you, they’d want everything they could find on the birth family of someone like me” (316). This makes the characters see what the readers already know, and shows that Dayne evidently cared about his birth family and didn’t want to ruin their private lives. Truly, the dramatic irony of this story is why anyone who is looking for a romantic, Christian fiction novel, should read this book.

In closing, if you are in search for a gripping, romantic, Christian fiction novel, Found by Karen Kingsbury is definitely a book you should take a look at. The many points of view throughout this book allow you to get to know each of the characters on a personal level, and adds more suspense to the story. In addition, the plot has a fantastic turning point that has your eyes racing to find out what happens next. Lastly, the dramatic irony that the author weaved into the story so seamlessly really has the readers hooked, in hope that eventually all of the characters see everything that they already know. Clearly, anyone who enjoys romantic, Christian fiction should read Found by Karen Kingsbury; an exciting novel with many points of view, a perfect plot, and hooking, dramatic irony.

Works Cited
Kingsbury, Karen. Found. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2006. Print.