Book Description
When Annie Jacobson's brother Mike enlists as a medic in the Army in 1967, he hands her a piece of paper with the address of their long-estranged father. If anything should happen to him in Vietnam, Mike says, Annie must let their father know.
In Mike's absence, their father returns to face tragedy at home, adding an extra measure of complication to an already tense time. As they work toward healing and pray fervently for Mike's safety overseas, letter by letter the Jacobsons must find a way to pull together as a family, regardless of past hurts. In the tumult of this time, Annie and her family grapple with the tension of holding both hope and grief in the same hand, even as they learn to turn to the One who binds the wounds of the brokenhearted.
Author Susie Finkbeiner invites you into the Jacobson family's home and hearts during a time in which the chaos of the outside world touched their small community in ways they never imagined.
My thoughts:
Oh, I loved this book so much! It's the kind of story where you are compelled to keep reading page after page not wanting to stop for one second. So, I didn't! I read this book in one day getting to know the Jacobson's who were a family I could easily imagine spending time with.
In this beautifully crafted story I celebrated the happy times and cried so hard during the bad times because the author made me feel the same emotions her characters felt. Set during the Vietnam War this novel is about family, faith, forgiveness but most of all love. A family who is all too familiar with war and the effects it has on their love ones leaving Annie, Mike, Joel and their mother on their own while the father faces his own demons. The one character I wasn't sure I would like turned out to be one of my favorites and I can picture him and his diner in my mind.
The letters exchanged between Mike and his family during his deployment are poignant and I looked forward to reading each and every single one of them. I don't know for sure but I imagine the author became emotional while composing them because they certainly got to me. I am in awe of the gift Ms. Finkbeiner possesses because she pulls me into her characters lives. She makes me feel like I am in their home, their workplace or wherever she chooses to take me which is the reason she is one of my must read authors. If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would.
If anyone is looking for a superbly written novel with unforgettable characters then I highly recommend All Manner of Things. This is one of my favorite books that I've read this year and I hope it will be one of yours.
I received a copy from the publisher but was under no obligation to write a review. All opinions are my own.
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