Weekend Writing: Reviewing Karen Kingsbury's "A Distant Shore"

"Anything good in her life happened at the shore. And it was where--if she were lucky--today she might even see God. Out beyond the waves, there at the back edge of the ocean." - Karen Kingsbury, "A Distant Shore" 

Karen Kingsbury's most recent novel, A Distant Shore, is unlike any other book I have read from the bestselling author. A stand-alone book, the story focuses on sex trafficking and FBI investigations in Belize. This doesn't sound like the typical Karen Kingsbury book, does it? 

I was immediately hooked to this story. Eliza Lawrence grew up as the heiress of an illegal sex trafficking "business" in Belize--stripped away from her mother, younger brother, and the innocent life she previously had. Her father is a monster. Young girls are forced to stay at the Palace, and Eliza no longer believes in God. She is already living in hell. 

Meanwhile, Jack Ryder is an undercover FBI agent who is assigned to work on a rescue mission with the Belize sex trafficking business. He poses as the man Eliza's father arranged to marry her. Jack must work with Eliza (and earn her trust) in order to successfully complete the dangerous mission and save every girl at the Palace. 

Karen Kingsbury's novel, A Distant Shore.

Like many of Kingsbury's novels, Jack and Eliza have a connection they cannot deny. She has many past traumas, and he also has a troubling past. When he was 16 years old, Jack lost his younger brother in a drowning accident. They were saving a young girl trapped in the ocean current while vacationing in Belize. Jack saved the girl while his brother drowned during the rescue efforts. 

Jack has never forgiven himself for allowing his brother to die, but after meeting Eliza and learning her backstory, he arrives at a startling realization: She is the young girl he saved. Jack saved her when Eliza didn't want to be rescued. After realizing this, Jack knows he was meant to find Eliza again. He was meant to rescue her--first as a child in the ocean, and again as a young woman from more danger than she would ever find in the sea. 

"She was thankful, he could tell. Because he watched her eyes fill with tears. The same blue eyes as the little girl he had rescued not once, but twice. From a place Jack would remember as long as he lived, the last place he had ever seen his brother, Shane. A distant shore in the heart of Belize." 

Eliza learns to trust Jack. He is the first man she has ever met who hasn't wanted to make advances and view her as an object to be bought. He is soft, kindhearted, comforting, and protective. He understands her past traumas and he helps her understand that she was a victim, but now she is free. She can make her own choices and live as she pleases. 

Kingsbury wrote, "Any other man Eliza had ever known in the past decade would have taken advantage of her on a night like this. Not Jack Ryder. And as they rode the elevator back to ground level and as he took her home and held her door and hugged her goodbye, Eliza was struck by the most beautiful thought. For the first time in her life, she had seen God somewhere other than the ocean."

Karen Kingsbury and her new novel, A Distant Shore (photo/Family Fiction).

Kingsbury tackled a difficult topic and subject matter in her newest novel. Writing about sex trafficking is unlike her usual work, and perhaps that is why I enjoyed reading it so much. It was interesting to learn more about how human and sex trafficking businesses work, and the dangers involved in these illegal organizations. I learned more about the FBI and undercover investigative work. Through Jack and Eliza's separate stories, I was engaged in the intensity of the story's plot. At the same time, I was drawn to their shared story--their deep connection stemming from their childhoods and how they work together to help save more young girls. 

Throughout their experiences, Jack and Eliza grow closer together and with their faith in God. They reflect on their pasts and how their stories brought them together. It was always in God's plan. 

"A lifetime ago he and Eliza had been alone in a world where neither of them wanted to live. But God had changed that. He had taken their broken pieces and made something beautiful of them. Because today...well, today he and Lizzie were the most alive people Jack knew, filled with hope and faith, laughter and joy. They wanted to live to be a hundred, at least. Side by side." 

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. As expressed, it's a different story from Kingsbury, but I loved reading something new and exciting. This book hooked me from the first few paragraphs and I was invested in the plot. I was intrigued by Eliza and Jack's characters and their traumatic pasts. To me, the book is a lesson about trauma and overcoming difficult pasts. How can you grow from these events? How can you grow closer to someone else--and grow closer to God? 

Once again, Kingsbury has delivered an engaging, heartfelt novel. I was educated, challenged, and motivated to learn more. I loved the story and I can't wait to read what Kingsbury has to offer next. Until next time...

Read on! 

-KJL-