The Prayer Box

The Prayer Box is one of Lisa Wingate’s earlier dual timeline novels, set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and built around the discovery of a collection of handwritten prayers that span decades of one woman’s life. The novel follows Tandi Reese, a young single mother who has fled an abusive relationship and arrived on Hatteras Island looking for a fresh start. She takes a job cleaning out the home of the recently deceased Iola Anne Poole, a respected Hatteras Island elder whose long life and strong faith had made her a beloved figure in the small community.

While working through the rooms of the old house, Tandi discovers a collection of handcrafted prayer boxes, each one dated and filled with handwritten prayers that Iola had been writing throughout her life. The boxes go back decades, recording Iola’s joys, fears, losses, and gratitudes in a long unbroken record of her interior life and her relationship with God. As Tandi reads the prayers, the parallel between Iola’s faith and the difficult situation Tandi is in begins to do its slow work, and the historical thread of Iola’s earlier life unfolds alongside Tandi’s contemporary effort to build something new for herself and her children.

Lisa Wingate writes accessible faith inflected fiction that handles its religious elements with a light touch rather than overt evangelism. Her readership crosses over significantly with general historical fiction readers who may not share her faith perspective but appreciate her storytelling. The Outer Banks setting is rendered with affection, the historical material on the older island traditions is well researched, and the dual timeline structure builds toward a resolution that earns its emotional weight without becoming preachy.

For readers who came to Wingate through Before We Were Yours, going back to The Prayer Box offers an earlier example of the dual timeline storytelling she would later refine. For new readers, the novel is a comfortable introduction to her style and a good entry point into her wider Carolina Heirlooms series. Readers who enjoy Karen White, Susan Meissner, or the southern faith fiction of Sarah Loudin Thomas will find familiar territory here.