We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800734912
• ISBN-13: 978-0800734916

About the Book:

When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request--that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos--seems like it isn't worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time.

At her great-aunt's 150-year-old farmhouse north of Detroit, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think.

Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes readers on an emotional journey through time--from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Michigan's Underground Railroad during the Civil War--to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide.


My Thoughts:

What a gorgeous novel!  Erin Bartels' debut is an ambitious work of fiction about three different eras in our nation's history: The Civil War, The Civil Rights, and today.  Most disturbing is how much I realized that we haven't come as far as we think we have.

The story is educational without feeling teachy, faith laced without feeling preachy, and realistic.  Realistic to the point that I had to stop and cry for a little after different scenes, and mourn for all our nation and our people have suffered over this unnecessary evil.

I had no clue going in what to expect, and for me that was a good thing.  However, in reading a handful of reviews I was shocked to learn that more than enough readers were offended within the FIRST FEW PAGES and bashed the book and the author without even reading the book.

To those readers I say this: To anyone who was offended by the opening pages and stopped reading in order to leave a scathing review or comment, I have one thing to say:

What a journey you have missed! And what a time of learning you could have had! And that’s why we’ll never move forward in how we see one another, how we treat one another, how we help one another heal without inflicting more wounds.

This one simply cannot be missed.  Very highly recommended!
Until the next read,

Deena

* I was provided a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author and volunteered for the opportunity to provide an honest, impartial review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.