Of Stillness and Storm by Michelle Phoenix

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Of Stillness and Storm (Thomas Nelson, December 2016)
“I felt torn between two worlds. Each with its own mystery. One more captivating than the other, but the other more real and breathing.”
It took Lauren and her husband ten years to achieve their dream—reaching primitive tribes in remote regions of Nepal. But while Sam treks into the Himalayas for weeks at a time, finding passion and purpose in his work among the needy, Lauren and Ryan stay behind, their daily reality more taxing than inspiring. For them, what started as a calling begins to feel like the family’s undoing.
At the peak of her isolation and disillusion, a friend from Lauren’s past enters her life again. But as her communication with Aidan intensifies, so does the tension of coping with the present while reengaging with the past. It’s thirteen-year-old Ryan who most keenly bears the brunt of her distraction.
Intimate and bold, Of Stillness and Storm weaves profound dilemmas into a tale of troubled love and honorable intentions gone awry.

My opinion:

I just finished this book and have so many emotions from reading it. The ending totally took me by surprise and was not wrapped up neatly like most books, but isn't that how real life is?
This book is raw and intense, filled with deeply flawed people. Being that the author has lived and worked with missionary kids I think it is a very accurate of how some young people handle the situation.
This book is gritty and sad, but the author writes in such a way that it is hard to put down and at the end you are glad you read it.