Shaken by Kariss Lynch

Kaylan has just graduated from college and has six months before her internship starts. Her best friend, Sarah Beth, insists they both go to Haiti to do short time work in a clinic in Port-au-Prince. They share a passion to change the world.

Before long, Kaylan comes to love the country and the Haitian people, despite her run in with a voodoo priest. She is amazed at the church services of the Haitians. “These people with nothing truly showed Kaylan that God was their everything.” (87)

Yet Kaylan experiences frustration. It seems hopeless, trying to change the years of oppression, the voodoo, the extreme poverty. It is hard for her to accept the word of the clinic director, that the world is changed one life at a time.

Then the worst earthquake Haiti has ever seen occurs and Kaylan's life is forever changed.

This novel is a good character study of a young woman, idealistic and sheltered, who is faced with death and destruction. Where is God in all of this? How could this have happened? Interwoven into Kaylan's experience in Haiti is a romance with a Navy SEAL. She and Nick had had a close relationship but when he deployed, he knew he needed to leave her behind. He broke her heart. Just before Kaylan leaves for Haiti, Nick shows up wanting to renew their relationship.

There are a number of issues covered in this book. The major one is faced by Kaylan. How do you still believe in a God Who says He is good in the face of great tragedy and death that strikes so close to you? Another issue is guilt. Both Kaylan and Nick face this issue, Kaylan because the voodoo priest says the earthquake was her fault, and Nick because he lost part of his team in an attack.

This is a good debut novel. I recommend it.

Kariss Lynch began her writing career in the third grade. She received a degree in English at Texas Tech University and fell in love with writing faith-based fiction. A die-hard Texan, born and bred in Dallas, she now works there as a writer for a local communications ministry.

Realms (a division of Charisma House Book Group), 304 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.