We Hope for Better Things

Back Cover

When journalist Elizabeth Balsam is asked to deliver a box of old photos to a relative she didn't know she had, the strange request seems like it isn't worth her time.  But as soon as she explores her great-aunt's farmhouse with its locked doors and hidden graves, she soon discovers just how dramatically some of the most newsworthy events of the previous two centuries shaped her own family.  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 inn the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding.

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

Review

Wow.  Just wow.  Erin Bartels has crafted an engrossing novel that crosses time periods to highlight the stories of three generations of women their struggles against racism.  Erin Bartels captures the pain, hopelessness, and despair when hatred consumes a person or nation.  But in so doing, she also embodies the strength, character, and boldness of those willing to fight against injustice. 

 

We Hope for Better Things is also about love.  Love that is forbidden in different ways for different reasons - in one way forbidden unjustly and in another way rightly so.  And chapter by chapter, the story delves into the results and consequences of those actions and decisions, some such consequences being utterly heart-breaking.

 

One of my favourite aspects about this novel is the way in which the author wrote it.  It is like a large puzzle with the facts and events of the history of the characters being put together piece by piece until the full story unfurls at the end with a few startling revelations.  I don't want to go too deeply into the story for in so doing I would undoubtedly give much away, but I would urge anyone who appreciates historical novels to pick up We Hope for Better Things.  Yes, it is sad at times, and the characters do not always make the right decisions.  But We Hope for Better Things is equally engaging and thought-provoking, resulting in a story that will stick with you for many days to follow.

 

 

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.