Alan Brennert is a true storyteller in every sense of the word. Both times I have read his novels, I get the sense that I am sitting down with an old friend in his living room as he tells the story of someone he knows. It is because of this gift that he fills the reader's mind with imagery and situations unparalleled. This is also why, after many years having passed since I read his novel Moloka'i, I can still recall the story of Rachel and her journey through life with leprosy. His novels are richly imagined, and broadly written. The only caveat I will mention is that with such a rich imagination, unnecessary details are often included. Sometimes I read whole sections thinking they could have been left out; the novel would have benefited from a bit more streamlining.
However, I'm willing to deal with the verbosity because of the rich history I learn about in each of his novels. Brennert's stories are well-researched and always intriguing. The detail with which he described the Japanese Internment Camps really had me in the middle of these characters' heartbreaking journey. I appreciated learning more about the terrible choice made by our government at the time.
Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for gifting me with this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Read 12/6/18
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