Memories of Glass by Melanie Dobson is another book about complicated family lines - I seem to be reading a few of these lately - and another ‘dual time’ novel partly set during WWII and partly today.
When Ava Drake, director of the Kingston Family Foundation, begins to investigate her family’s past she finds herself wondering whether their official history as benefactors to a Holland struggling to rebuild post war is really the truth. Sent to Uganda to assess Landon West’s coffee plantation she finds a very unexpected connection between their families, but as she digs deeper into the past, powerful members of the Kingston family will do anything to keep it buried.
Meanwhile, we learn the stories of Eliese and Josie, two young women living in Amsterdam during the occupation. Their stories are woven wonderfully with the real-life rescue of over 600 children spirited away from the nursery they were sent to by the Nazis as a holding facility before deportation to the death camps. (You can find out more about that here.)
A compelling read, Memories of Glass deals with hope and despair, the power of faith and friendship, courage, sacrifice, and the dangers of keeping secrets. The sense of menace in both the 1940’s and present-day sections is tangible. Though the book did make me question one or two elements within the story it’s another strongly recommended novel.
For transparency, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, but I was not required to write any specific review. All views herein are my own.
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