Obsessed by Ted Dekker

Imagine finding the Greatest Treasure in the World? What would you do with it? What you do to find it? This is what we deal with in the Amazing Novel by Ted Dekker called Obsessed.

In this book we find Stephen Friedman, successful Realtor, a Jewish immigrant and an orphan who had tried to find out who his parents were for a long time and at last gave up. But Stephen is the one who gets caught up in an obsession that is much bigger than he anticipates. It all begins with an unexpected letter from a friend and a newspaper article. Stephen discovers that his mother was a woman named Rachel, a woman who had been through the nightmare of World War II concentration camps, and recently died. Stephen also learns that she was quite wealthy and had some property. Can you say JACKPOT BABY, let’s make it rain.

His mother also left behind a priceless historical artifact – a stone of David, one of the five stones believed to be used by David to defeat the giant Goliath. Also, it may be that she knew where the other four stones are.

Stephen becomes obsessed with the idea to find the remaining stones. Bring on the search and the adventure ahead! He goes to his mother’s old house, where he believes the clues are hidden. However, the house is bought by someone else, snatched right out of Stephen’s hands (AIN’T THAT SOMETHING). The new owner is a German man named Roth, whose father was the Nazi Commandant of the concentration camp, Torùn. Roth knows about the stones and about Stephen plans. And he also has plans of his own. It is so ON! Stephen’s quest to find the additional four stones introduces him to a much deeper obsession. For a time he unknowingly stakes his life on this adventure, but when the danger becomes clearer he must determine the value of his obsession to him.

The story goes on as Stephen makes one desperate attempt to get into his mother’s house after another. Roth’s thugs do their best to keep him away. While all this happens we find another story-line that takes us back in time to the WWII camp, telling about two pregnant women, Ruth and Martha (Stephen’s mother) and their struggles with the ruthless commandant who kills on a whim and plays games with the prisoners by giving and taking away their hope. There is some mystery here, and although the two story-lines seem unconnected, they eventually come together.

Ted Dekker did it again! He took me off the couch and engulfed in this book for days! His contrast of positive and negative obsessions was illuminating. This book really makes you wonder about your current obsessions in your life. I Think the main thing I received from this book is make sure our desires are in the right place and that love is the greatest gift of them all.