I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
The Crooked Path by Irma Joubert Series: Dochters van Zuid-Afrika #3
Published by Thomas Nelson on November 7, 2017
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Historical, Fiction / Christian / Romance / General, Fiction / Coming of Age, Fiction / Historical / General
Pages: 400
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley
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From the bestselling author of The Girl From the Train, comes another compelling coming of age story of delayed love, loss, and reconciliation in WWII-era South Africa.
Lettie has always felt different from and overshadowed by the women around her– this friend is richer, that friend is more beautiful, those friends are closer. Still, she doesn’t let this hold her back. She works hard to apply her mind, trying to compensate for her perceived lack of beauty with diligent academic work and a successful career as a doctor. She learns to treasure her friendships, but she still wonders if any man will ever return her interest.
Marco’s experience in the second world war have robbed him of love and health. When winters in his native Italy prove dangerous to his health even after the war has ended, he moves to South Africa to be with his brother, husband to one of Lettie’s best friends. Marco is Lettie’s first patient, and their relationship grows as she aids him on the road back to restored health.
In the company of beloved characters from The Child of the River, Marco and Lettie find a happiness that neither of them thought possible. With that joy comes pain and loss, but Lettie learns that life—while perhaps a crooked path—is always a journey worth taking.
The drawbacks I had with Child of the River were much less prevalent in The Crooked Path. I think partly as Child was audio book and this was eBook, but also I think this one was less political, and I was somewhat already introduced to some of the non-American names and places prior, so it clicked more. I honestly don’t remember Lettie being featured in Child, but I loved the catch-up and variation on the story of the rest and some resolution of Persomi’s story.
The trip to Italy (not THE trip but the section on Marco’s life) threw me for a moment as I was confusing the brothers . . . not yet realizing the brothers’ theme. But I enjoyed it greatly. WW2 in Italy is not something I’ve read a lot about, and getting it from a different perspective than the typical American writing Italy was refreshing. I really enjoyed Lettie’s story as well. Growing up just too smart, uncomfortable with her looks, and feeling like she doesn’t fit even in her solid friend group. While less political than Persomi, Lettie was more science-y. The information about polio, the way it played out, is something I’ve never come across or explored in my reading journey, but makes me want to go find those books. The science was a bit overwhelming at times, but I think there was a good balance of layman’s terms as well.
I think what I struggled with the most with the two books I’ve read in this trilogy (I’ve yet to find the first book translated – sad face here) is the time jumps. An entire life covered in the span of a novel, in and of itself, it’s that jumpy, but with no setup to understand how far in the future we’ve jumped, it felt a little disorienting. Perhaps a translation issue, but context clues were necessary most of the time, and sometimes I just didn’t get them. And that made it a bit more difficult to gauge the progress of time. Overall, though, a great book and a great series.
About Irma Joubert
“Writing and telling stories, that’s like breathing for me,” says Irma Joubert. “It’s not a matter of making sense or getting to work. I experience it as a necessary thing, an urge that is stronger than myself. Writing is in my blood. I just have to tell you. If God is gracious to me, there will always be a story waiting for me again, a story to be told.”
Before she puts a letter on paper, Irma first has an intensive period of introduction and research (as a former teacher of history, she finds a correct representation of historical facts very important). During this period, she hangs out with her characters for months. She imagines what place her characters occupy in the facts she examines, she has conversations with them about what she has come to know, and so on.
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