Door to Freedom by Jana Kelley

This novel is a sequel to Side by Side. (You can read my review of that book here.) In this story, Mia and her husband are in north Sudan. Michael has been working for a humanitarian organization in the country for two years. Mia has been getting to know her Muslim neighbors while raising their three children. Another major character in this novel is Rania, the young daughter of a Sudanese Arab. She misses her older sister who suddenly disappeared, leaving her a small book Rania keeps hidden.

This is a great novel about the life of Christian humanitarian workers and Muslims in Sudan. It is a land of Sharia law but those Mia knows are kind and friendly. The novel reveals some of the struggles and dilemmas Christian workers face when living in a Muslim country where proselytizing is often illegal.

This is another powerful novel from Kelley. She spent thirteen years in Africa and the Middle East and her novels are based on actual events. This one reveals the fragile nature of having a humanitarian organization in a hostile environment. It also portrays the plight of women in a predominately Muslim country.

The novel reveals the pain humanitarian workers inexperience while being so far away from their families back in the U.S. Yet it also reveals the joy those same workers experience knowing they are exactly where God wants them to be.

I recommend this novel to those who want to get a good picture of what it is like to be a Christian in a foreign and hostile environment.

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book. You can read other reviews here.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Jana Kelley was raised in southeast Asia then returned to her Texas roots to attend college. Married shortly after graduation, by their second anniversary she and her husband were living in a remote African town. After thirteen years in Africa and the Middle East, she, her husband, and their three boys moved to Southeast Asia where they currently live. Find out more at http://www.janakelley.com, follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

New Hope Publishers, 224 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Litfuse. My comments are an independent and honest review.