The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner Published by Penguin on February 2, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Women
Pages: 384
Format: Audiobook
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April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed.
Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. San Francisco widower Martin Hocking proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie quickly develops deep affection for Kat, Martin's silent five-year-old daughter, but Martin's odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn't right.
Then one early-spring evening, a stranger at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved.
The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belief that love can overcome fear.
From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War and As Bright as Heaven comes a gripping novel about the bonds of friendship and mother love, and the power of female solidarity.
So, you think you are settling into a nice and tidy little literary historical story. Then chapter 8 happens. And as you continue to read/listen, you get literary words and great historical details, but then there’s more Chapter 8s that keep you hanging on to what you think you know, and realize that almost no one is as they seem. Even the good guys have a backstory that is shady. That’s about all the spoilers I’ll get into, but good gravy, this book. I am ever so grateful that I accidentally discovered The Book Girls Guide back in late December or early January. And in that discovery, I found Susan Meissner. This is my second book by her this year, and honestly, I feel like a StoryGraph challenge for her books is coming soon to my little corner of the world. I’m kinda in a need to read them all.
Being totally honest, I did struggle at times with the story. At times, there were things hinted at that were so vague that they frustrated me. At times it was a bit too literary, and all the words clouded the story for me. Details that seemed extra and unnecessary. Truth, a little boring. But . . . But it all built together a story that was so involved that it all wove together by the end. What I discovered as I listened to the absolute last word of this story is that every single word was necessary. Every single word created a story that needed the ending it got. Those Chapter 8s kept me engaged through the boredom. And they kept me hanging onto this story even after it ended.
It’s a brilliant mind that weaves together this much chaos with historical accuracy and detail. I say chaos because of the sheer level of moral gray some of these characters have. I mean, there’s the sheer absolute depravity as well, but a lot of gray. The depths and details it took to get there was absolutely enchanting. Even in the boring, there was intrigue that kept me interested and engaged. Yes, some things seemed too easy, maybe, but it was a different time. I’m trying too hard not to give anything away, but this book is worth the boring; it’s worth all the words, and honestly, having read it, I feel like it’s worth a re-read only to get the finer details I probably missed while I was internally complaining about all the words.
About Susan Meissner
Susan Meissner is the critically-acclaimed author of 27 novels for adults and two children’s books. Her engaging novels feature memorable characters facing unique and complex circumstances, often against a backdrop of historical significance. A multi-award-winning author, her books have earned starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Booklist.
She was born and raised in San Diego, California, but spent some of her adult life living in Minnesota as well as in England and Germany, before returning home to southern California in 2007. Susan attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.
Prior to her writing career, she was a managing editor of a weekly newspaper in southwestern Minnesota. She enjoys teaching workshops on writing, spending time with her family, reading great books and traveling. Susan now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Bob (a retired chaplain in the Air Force Reserves) and their yellow lab, Winston.
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