Christina Schwarz (1) (1962–)

In this book, family secrets have repercussions that affect multiple generations. Amanda and Mattie are close sisters who live on a farm in the midwest. They have a complicated relationship, and after Mattie marries, Amanda seems distraught but finds purpose as a nurse during WW1. After a bought of influenza, her world seems to upend. A love affair with a charming womanizer makes matters worse.
How far should loyalty to a family member go? Is it healthy to perpetuate family secrets? This is a "thriller" in the sense that the events of the fateful night are not fully revealed until the last page. The author writes that she had difficulty with the plot, she wanted the focus to be more on the relationships in the novel, and I agree that the relationships were very compelling. The characters were interesting and believable. I enjoyed it a lot.… (more)

The book jacket synopsis hints at danger in a remote location, not just from the elements but an unexpected presence hiding in the wilderness. But this is so much more than a thriller based on isolation and the fear of the unknown.

Trudy is a highly educated woman, able to argue philosophy (Kant, anyone?) or play a Mozart sonata. Everyone expects she’ll marry her childhood friend, Ernst, and settle down to an upper-middle class life in Milwaukee. But then she meets Ernst’s cousin, Oskar, and everything changes. Oskar is a dreamer with training as an engineer. He’s intent on inventing the next BIG thing and Trudy is caught up in his dreams. He takes a position as an assistant lighthouse keeper on a remote promontory on the California coast, thinking he’ll have plenty of time to work on his invention. So, in fall of 1898 the newlyweds set out to make their own future. Things don’t go as they expected.

Trudy is a wonderful character. She’s intelligent, but also observant and not afraid of some hard work. When the lighthouse keeper’s wife suggests (demands?) that Trudy serve as a schoolteacher for the keeper’s children, she takes on the challenge. But the children have much to teach her as well.

Oskar, on the other hand, is a real piece of work. I guess I can understand how his enthusiasm and apparent drive to make a real impact on the world could have seduced her, but how could Trudy keep forgiving him and supporting him when his true colors became evident. I saw the climactic scene coming a mile off, though I still enjoyed reading it and seeing how Schwarz would craft this denouement.

The character that most surprised me was Euphemia (Mrs. Crawley). She was a rock, a pillar of strength, and when push came to shove, she supported and helped Trudy, her children, and Helen. She loved her brother, yes, but she recognized his failings and ultimately would not make excuses for him. Brava.… (more)