Anya Unbound

Book excerpt: While enjoying her new-found independence from the Polish orphanage in which she grew up, seventeen-year-old Anya is unwittingly sucked into the illicit world of sex trafficking when an acquaintance promises to help her get to America. Instead of arriving in New York to begin the new life she’s dreamed of, Anya is sold to men on the very ship she thought would take her to freedom. Held captive in a shipping container with other girls, and destined for the sex trade, Anya jumps at the chance to escape. With the help of her friend Kazia, Anya escapes and dives into the Teslin River amid a hail of bullets, emerging into the forest and an uncertain future. When Sean sees a figure in the woods on Pike Lake Road, he’s not sure whether it’s friend or foe. After all, the Yukon is a notorious hiding place for criminals trying to evade the law. But he certainly isn’t expecting the dishevelled, traumatized young woman who brandishes a stick at him from the edge of the trees. Sean and his girlfriend, Reina, begin the slow process of coaxing Anya out of her shell. By God’s grace, Sean and Reina believe she will heal and come to know the life God intends for her to live. But survivor’s guilt lays heavy on Anya, and they are not yet safe from the sex traffickers, who feverishly continue the search for their escaped cargo. Will courage, perseverance, and the power of prayer be enough to set Anya truly free?