Storm Tossed tells the story of how one man fell into a lifestyle of sexual sin and ultimately found redemption through the work of Christ. Taking on the pseudonym Jake Porter, the author tells how his problems began with pornographic magazines in his youth and rejection by girls in high school and college. He led himself to believe that because God wasn’t providing him with a wife, he was forced to fulfill his sexual desires in other ways. |
So Jake Porter joined the Navy and “saw the world.” Along the way he became addicted to prostitutes, even admitting at times that he didn’t even want the women, but he was compelled to be with them anyway. At first he would ask God for forgiveness after an encounter, but eventually he gave up. He reached many points of empty depression, and though he desired to commit suicide, he could never bring himself to do it. The final chapters tell of how honesty and faith brought him to the point of claiming victory over his addiction. The Epilogue provides some practical tips for wives whose husbands who are heavily addicted, as well as for men.
My main criticism about Storm Tossed is all of the
secondary characters seem flat. This is probably due to the story being
filtered through the theme of sexual addiction. The result is that very little
is known about the personalities of the other characters, even the author’s
wife. For the most part, all the reader learns is how someone either corrupts
or aids Jake, or simply helps to move the story along.
Apart from the criticism, Storm Tossed is an
intriguing read. Jake Porter’s story shows the devastation sexual sin can cause
in a man’s life as well as the redemption that can be found in submitting one’s
life to Christ.
