I'll admit that I have been on a tear through the collection of Ted Dekker books at my local library. I just finished his 2007 thriller Blink of an Eye (adapted from his 2002 novel Blink). The story takes place in two worlds with two very different protagonists. One world is the western United States where we find 26 year old Seth Border. Seth, who grew up with an abusive father, is attending Berkeley. He has an IQ off the charts and has grown bored with the pointless games of sparring with overmatched and boorish professors who fear his intellect. He is looking for purpose and thinking more and more of finding adventure. The other world is Saudi Arabia where we find Miriam, a royal princess. Her world is very typical of the well-to-do elite, but she is a woman who is expected to conform to the customs of her people. When the forced marriage of one of her teenage friends goes awry, it marks an abrupt end to her fairy tale upbringing. The framework of the story is around the role that Miriam was unwittingly bred to play in a planned coup attempt by a royal prince and Miriam's father. Her father is a powerful sheik who controls a sect whose support can sway the balance of power in the nation toward a new king. However, when Miriam is told that she is to marry the royal prince's son in 3 days time, she flees for the sanctuary of the U.S.. Here she meets up with Seth, who for reasons not initially understood, has started to show signs of clairvoyance. This new ability, coupled with his brilliance and pragmatism, makes for a captivating storyline as Seth and Miriam evade the U.S. authorities, the Saudi intelligence, and the son of the royal prince and his nasties.
The story ends up back in Saudi Arabia, where Seth and Miriam outwit all of the forces against them and finally break free of the ties that have bound each of them. Along the way, we gain a glimpse into how two very different lives can find love, can impact the world for the better, and learn some truth about the God of the universe when they don't expect it. A very enjoyable read.
