My Hands Came Away Red

I'm involved in a book club, at my church. We met last week to discuss 'My Hands Came Away Red' by Lisa McKay.

My initial reaction was "wow". And then I couldn't say anymore. I wandered about the house aimlessly once I finished it for about a day and a half not knowing what to do with myself. I couldn't pick up another book (that, for me, is unheard of...I read 11 books in 3 weeks while we were away camping this year!) straight away.

The book is about a group of 6 teens who go on a missions trip to Indonesia to build a church in a village on a small island. Trouble breaks out after their adult team leaders make an emergency trip back to the mainland to the hospital. It is an incredibly realistic tale of these kids and their adventure through the jungle with a 17yo local guy as their guide.

I'm not sure about the others in our book club, but for me it was not only emotional because of all those kids went through. I grew up on Papua New Guinea in the years between mid primary school to mid high school. My connection to this book was more than just what my mind might imagine. It was more concrete because I could see clearly what those kids were doing and experiencing (although I never experienced religious unrest). Even without all of that though, the book was gripping and had me right from the very very beginning. I couldn't put it down until it was finished, but there were just enough lose ends that weren't left neatly tied off, for me to spend a day wondering about 'what if...'. And I loved that Lisa uses "mum" instead of "mom" for her main character.

If you want a gripping, realistic, well-written book by an Aussie author (a rarity in Christian fiction!) then I highly recommend 'My Hands Came Away Red'.