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For the Hall family, rural Montana life has given them a challenging yet fulfilling environment that shapes them into a cohesive unit. Not without their share of tragedy or hardship, they carry on as best as they can, with love and genuine compassion for one another. But the times they live in are tempestuous, and well beyond forty, patriarch Harold is drafted and called to do his part in the Second World War raging across Europe. Leaving behind his two daughters and his longtime wife, he knows he has no choice but to go. Instead, the uncertainty stays behind with his wife and daughters, who must maintain the home during times of rationing and shortages, all the while dealing with daughter Laura's disability and daughter Lindsey's growing depression.
These personal burdens are amplified by nightly broadcasts of world events and the fear that some message will arrive saying Harold will not survive the fight. Yet through faith and love, the Hall women find a path forward, finding opportunities for learning, reconnection, and new love. These glimmers of hope give them something to hold onto, even if it means letting go of the familiar and the routine. Forged in tragedy and anxiety, the Halls will be tested to their limits, forced to face the unknown and the unspoken pain each of them buries to try and carry on. With the war far from home, their lot is to do more than survive; through faith, they must find a way to thrive and flourish against a world that seems to darken by the day.
Just as in real families, the story being told here is one of individually moving parts and how each personal decision impacts the trajectory of the entire family unit. While Laura's injuries leave her wheelchair-bound, her faith-powered optimism opens doors and opportunities for her that fuel her forward. Conversely, Lindsey's independence brings deep inner sadness and a sense of inadequacy. Trudy, as the parent, tries to keep things from falling apart, all the while masking her grief and fear of whether or not the man she loves will ever come home. These inner conflicts are masterfully conveyed, highlighting the silent ways families communicate and how even the smallest change can speak volumes with someone you live under the same roof with.
With relatively few characters and scene changes, this book presents an entire spectrum of how people deal with crises in all their shapes and forms. The immediacy of the war, the uncertainty of the future, and a deep-seated belief—each treated with equal attention and care—intertwine into one narrative that carries gravity and authenticity across every page. The descriptions of every careful movement, of people tiptoeing around grief and trying not to be a burden to their loved ones, are so palpable and real they don't even tax the reader's imagination. This profoundly human story has much to say, and it does so with incredible structure and rhythm, so the tension lingers, counterweighed by the positive developments on the horizon if only the characters can hang on another day, week, or month.
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