the Deal, the Dance and the Devil by VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY



Life is never a stagnant pond. There are the good times. There are the bad times. In  A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens opens his novel, A Tale of Two Cities, by describing an era. He writes "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolish...it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..." This is the way I would describe life in the Langston household. I met Evia, mother and wife. There is Adam, father and husband. There are the children, Alexa, Alana and Ethan. Alexa and Alana are twins as emotionally different as the taste of cake and  pie. There are the friends of the family and other members of the family. None have to fight this hail storm like the immediate Langstons. This one house is under siege because  the devil has touched their home much like the devil touched the home of Job and his family.

It all begins with financial distress. This family are blessed. There is nothing material they haven't wished for without in the end getting it. The Langstons are living fine until the unexpected happens. Like most people the Langstons are caught off guard. Does the devil's exist, thrive on making people on earth miserable? This is the plot.  In order to give their children what they want and bring their life back up to their class standard the Langstons will have to make a "deal" with Shay-Shaunte',  Mrs. Langston's boss.  The deal is so grand, so huge, so inclusive that it is hard for Evia and Adam not to take it. Matters are made worse because Shay Shaunte' doesn't look like a witch. She's "...movie-star beautiful, her head wrappd with a lightweight red scarf and her eys framed with red-rimmed sunglasses."

Anyway, this deal will make Evia and Adam dance their hearts out. They will dance fast. Their faces, their feet movements will become a blurry flash of passions: anger, distrust, lust and jealousy. Their dance almost took the breath out of me.  In myd mind I could always see the matador and his lady dancing so quickly.PasoDoble. The novel is indeed memorable.

I think Eve and Adam might have done the same dance in the Garden of Eden. Those Biblical names are so similar to the ones of Evia and Adam. I made a big discovery in this novel. The devil isn't a hard worker. I do the work. I dance. He watches.  All he does is give me the script. My wrong choices makes The devil laugh. His fun is watching me weaken under pressure. Really the devil's hands are tied. He can only do as much as God allows him to do. If God says no, the deal is off. If God says yes, the dance during the deal is my choice. Therefore,  when it's time for me to dance again for the devil's enjoyment, will I do the Cha Cha, the Twist or the Tango? It doesn't matter which dance I choose the devil just wants entertainment. I don't want to do anything done by The Langstons. I think remembering The Langstons' mistakes  in the Deal, the Dance, and the Devil will help  me in the next life storm. These are Victoria Christopher Murray's words from the Reading Group Guide at the end of the novel.

"I hope this novel will give readers something to thing about. The devil is real and he's roaming to and fro to kill, steal, and destroy everything that God has for you. I hope this book opens up a few eyes--it certainly opened up mine!

I agree. This novel switched my outlook on life. My homeand the people in my home are so precious. Sadly, everyday there is a battle to end all battles to break down my fortress walls to divide and conquer. Don't worry about the loot. That's not important. What the devil wants to have from me are the people I love, my precious bundles. victoriachristophermurray, simonandschuster, aalbcvictoria

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