Sibby Spencer

Faith Anderson arrives in England, six months pregnant, having inherited her aunt's home in a small English town. It's the early 1970s. Her boyfriend, Jacob, was drafted, and and has been declared missing in action in Vietnam. She's a bit lost and confused, missing Jacob, certain she'll never see him again.

Thirty years later, her son Dan is working in a bookstore, when a man walks in and says he's Jacob, Dan's father.

Faith never told Dan much, or really anything, about his father, except that he was drafted, and then lost in Vietnam. Dan has always wanted to know more, of course, and even though he's very skeptical of this stranger, he's still very, very curious. And there is a resemblance between them. They start meeting and talking.

But Jacob, if that's who he is, asks Dan not to tell Faith about him, "because it would be too devastating for her." They get closer; they pull apart; Dan is confused. Jacob wants to tell him something important, but Dan is not getting the message.

Interspersed with Dan's lie, his meetings with Jacob, and bits of Faith's life, we have glimpses of Jacob's time in Vietnam, We see the storm that is apparently how Jacob became missing, and was never found.

And we see a nameless man, imprisoned in a featureless room, with almost no contact with anyone. He's been a prisoner for years, and the prison which started as an old stone building, in which he could hear and even talk to other prisoners, would see his jailers, unpleasant but normal. It has changed over time, becoming this featureless place. He's a political prisoner, but we don't know why.

Back in the early 2000s, where Dan is meeting with Jacob, or as he decides to call him, JD, we learn the man claiming to be his father is trying to prevent him from making a terrible mistake.

Faith, meanwhile, has realized she made a mistake, in not telling Dan the truth about his father.

These are characters developed slowly but well, growing and changing as we follow them. I came to care deeply about all of them, wanting a satisfying resolution for all of them.

And yes, there is a science-fictional element to the story, which is not obvious at first, but the hints are planted. It's a successful blend of historical, "literary," and that bit of science fiction.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher.… (altro)

I had read multiple posts on social media about National Vietnam War Veterans Day and that evening I discovered this novel. I realized I had never read a novel related to the time period of the Vietnam War which hastened my selection of this title. [March 29 is designated as National Vietnam War Veterans Day with the 1st designation by President Nixon in 1974, and annually some states recognize this day on March 30.]

I became immediately absorbed learning Faith Anderson was leaving the United States to move to a newly inherited cottage in a small town in England as it sounded like quite an adventure but leaving all she knows when in the last months of pregnancy was spine-tingling. I became even more immersed as son Daniel now grown, living and working independently has important decisions to make. With the turn of every page, each character seems to have their own secret and as a reader I’m not only experiencing the reveal but also wondering if the secrets will all interact as well as being exposed to the different sides of the Vietnam War through the personal view of multiple characters. When reading this riveting a novel as a reader I’m invested in the lives as living through that time period in history I can easily remember individual names that had served in Vietnam, the family waiting at home, and the aftermath of that war.

This novel is artfully written as it exposes heartfelt emotions and private thoughts and transitions between the past and present seamlessly so the reader can know another piece of the character’s backstory or life experience which has led her/him to this moment. On some pages I didn’t know whether to read slower or faster not wanting to miss a crucial element but still with a burning desire to know each juncture. As a debut this novel is most impressive for the complexities, details, and twists. I look forward to reading more of Sibby Spencer’s writing.

My sincere thanks to Sibby Spencer, and BooksGoSocial for my complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

#TheHeartLadder #NetGalley… (altro)