Karin is a young, successful L&D (labor and delivery) nurse in a Chicago hospital. When her roommate, Lori, dies from what appears to be complications following an abortion, Karin is thrown into a life altering spin that awakens her spiritual life and challenges her professional philosophies. Interwoven with Finnish heritage, Aliisa’s Letter is a strong story every woman will relate to. As Karin comes to terms with life and death, traditional hospital births verses natural, unhindered home births and men that love her or would love to have her, the reader happily rides along as she journeys into an uncertain future.
Van Der Woude is the perfect person to author such a book. A nurse who attended countless hospital births that were riddled with unnecessary interventions, she realized how gentle the process should be. Van Der Woude began assisting physicians with home births and has come to the conclusion that God created the female body perfectly, and to interfere with the labor process, is well, short of unnatural.
Thought provoking from many of the characters point of view, the reader contemplates various aspects of women’s health care. Van Der Woude leaves a prominent question hanging- when does the physician that vows to help women cross the line during treatment and end up injuring her instead? But more than just a medical thriller, Van Der Woude ferociously attacks age old questions regarding suffering and God’s availability-or perceived lack of-while people are in the midst of painful situations.
As a health care advocate, I applaud Van Der Woude for bringing to the surface questions that have long been shoved under the carpet. Too many health care issues are like that pink elephant in the room-everyone knows they are there but few are willing to put their professional reputation on the line to call it what it is. Van Der Woude enthusiastically takes on the challenge in a non-confrontational manner while soliciting the reader to dig deeper into important issues relevent to women. As an author, she has proven that she can weave an interesting, page turning story that authentically captures the essence of the time and place. In fact, by the end of the first chapter, you will feel as if you've always known Karin.
Aliisa’s Letter is more than a chick flick on paper, more than a medical thriller, more than a Finnish story, more than a romance. It is a culmination of the best things you hope to get in a novel and she blends them all perfectly!
Note-There is one use of profanity in the book that may offend traditional Christian readers.
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Pleasant Word-A Division of WinePress Publishing (June 15, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414115318
ISBN-13: 978-1414115313
Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.5 inches
