''The Atonement Child'' is a 1997 novel by the American author

Francine Rivers Francine Sandra Rivers (born 1947) is an American author of Christian novel, fiction with Christianity, Christian themes, including inspirational romance novels. Prior to becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Rivers wrote historical romance no ...

. It deals with the themes of unwanted pregnancy and abortion.

Plot introduction

Dynah is a young Christian girl at a Bible college when rape shatters her life. The resulting pregnancy and reactions from her family and friends may in turn shatter her faith. As her

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

fiancé suddenly finds abortion acceptable, and her

school informs her that she will be expelled unless her pregnancy disappears, she is forced to wonder about their views of the world, what God has said in the Bible, and of her own unsteady

views. At home she finds her family torn apart as her mother admits to an abortion before she had Dynah that made her incapable of having children for several years. She also learns that her grandmother was forced to have an abortion for "health reasons". Dynah is eventually driven to isolate herself so that she can make the decision on her own. As her mother's "Atonement Child", Dynah must come to the decision on whether or not to have her own "Atonement Child". 1997 American novels Novels by Francine Rivers American Christian novels Novels about rape Novels about abortion {{1990s-novel-stub