Of Stillness and Storm

Book excerpt: Award-winning and highly acclaimed author, Michèle Phoenix, pens a story of marriage and missions, and what happens when they don’t always align. “The Poisonwood Bible for a new generation.” —Elizabeth Musser, author of The Long Highway Home “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. “In this fine novel, Phoenix realistically captures the deep struggles enveloping a missionary family.” —Publishers Weekly