The love of life: A marriage guide

the book is more or less a guide to establishing and maintaining healthy relationships by lawyer-cum pastor and marriage counsellor Kanokanga.
As fate would have it I managed to get my hands on a copy courtesy of a work colleague of mine and I was very anxious to find out what the hullabaloo about the “Emperor’s new clothes” was about.
The pursuit of happiness and healthy relations is without doubt a primary goal in peoples’ lives but despite many an attempt, it continues to elude us like the Holy Grail.
Being imperfect beings we are riddled with flaws and are confronted by countless temptations in our everyday lives and it is against the background of these very challenges that Davison Kanokanga’s book attempts to charter a way forward in very murky waters.
A quick glance at the book shows that it is targeted at the Christian readers as it attempts to put all temptations and problems within a Christian perspective and solutions with biblical allusion and foundations.
The book is categorically divided into five chapters each addressing a specific problem arising in relationships and marriage namely sexual temptation, healthy relationships, stress management, grief, fatal attractions and financial problems.
The book is rather shoddy so far as style and technique is concerned but however, what it lacks in the aforementioned it attempts to make up for in content.
In the opening chapter the book addresses issues of sexual temptation with the author pointing out numerous causes of infidelity, temptation before highlighting their disastrous consequences on the marriage institution and other relationships.
The author proceeds to address avenues of remedying the cancer because it is only with knowledge of the causes and consequence can one effectively kill the cancer that is sexual temptation.
The book is littered with biblical imagery of similar sexual temptation that befell the likes of David to Joseph.
The biblical allusion shows Kanokanga’s strong Ministerial background and although it goes a long way in strengthening the belief that tribulations and solutions have biblical roots, it curtails the possibility of it being appropriate for non-Christian couples.
Chapter 2 stands out from the rest of the book as it transcends the relationship arena with finesse showing profound insight and understanding on the part of the author.
Many a time authors of self help books are quick to point out the obvious, which is the problem, but do not proffer useful and importantly, practical solutions.
Things we take for granted liked maintaining a healthy relationship, good communication, prayer, friendship and forgiveness each receive the requisite attention from the author.
Not only does the author tell us what do to do to improve relations but goes a step further by setting out a plausible framework within which to do so.
Subsequent chapters address other marital problems with equally as much finesse.
The book is worth reading and worth spending your hard-earned penny on and a publication many Christian couples would be advised to have in their home library. — ZPH, Harare.