As Michèle celebrates the "coming out" of her latest novel today, Of Stillness and Storm, she will be "going into" Central Dupage Hospital for a bilateral mastectomy.
The Amazon reviews on this "release" day have been glowing. As they should be. This gal can write. For those in ministry on foreign fields, Of Stillness and Storm will seem more REALISTIC than fictional. Michèle's words create mental images of the poverty stricken Nepal setting while touching us right in our emotional core as she weaves us through the lives of a missionary family--- Lauren, Sam and their son, Ryan.
For me there was an intense emotional undertow throughout the story. The beauty of Michèle's prose is that she doesn't use additional adjectives for her words to convey feelings but that she uses the perfect words. Pithy with a punch----the way I like them. It's almost poetic when an author has the ability to say the most with the fewest words.
Of Stillness and Storm is a contemporary read that begins in Katmandu, introducing us to the daily life and hardships of the Nepali people and yet transcends the miles to an America connection via the internet. A juxtaposition of hope and disappointment at almost every turn.
“I felt torn between two worlds. Each with its own mystery. One more captivating than the other, but the other more real and breathing.” (Michèle Phoenix)
Her reviewers used words and phrases like poignant, heartrending, and "must read." I agree.
A riveting story, the book will keep the reader turning pages long after the acceptable time for lights out. (B. Miller)
Complex characters and a provocative theme---comparing it to reading Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible as Phoenix masterfully plays with the reader's perspective's and emotions as the story unfolds.
(J. Morris)
An absolutely outstanding cautionary tale that is deeply affecting and will linger in reader's minds long after the last page is turned. (K. Branfield)
To me, the title also reflects much of Michèle's life as an MK. Her life has spanned the ocean and travel in third world countries but because of her faith in Jesus Christ she has weathered these storms, being an inspiration for all who know her. "In quietness and trust is her strength." (Isaiah 30:15)
Even today in the midst of this new "cancer storm," Michèle has an aura of peace---a peace that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:7)
