When faith gets shaken is a memoir of Patrick Regan’s experience with his own and his family’s health issues.
It is a well-written, brave book, but at times it was overwhelming to read of so many different health issues affecting Patrick and his family. It felt like it was all happening at once, though in reality his story is spread over a number of years. Patrick has interspersed three other stories of tragedy experienced by people close to him. While this provided some relief from hearing about his own troubles, these were also people who had experienced significant traumas.
I understand Patrick’s desire to write his memoir while he was actually going through it, however I found myself wishing he had waited until he had time to process his experiences. The book is often very raw and while this is valid, and other people have found this helpful, I would have preferred more distance from the events to give a better perspective. However, I may have felt differently if I was going through a difficult season myself.
The book finishes with a chapter on hope and trust in God, which was a great way to finish but it seemed like some other chapters must have fallen out. It was quite a leap from previous chapters where Patrick seemed to be struggling with his faith. In his defence, it is difficult to explain how God brings healing into our minds and souls, because it is a “little by little” process which is hard to articulate.
Overall it was an insightful book, though heavy going at times.
