Day: June 10, 2021

I’ve made no secret of my love for historical fiction, and I’m always excited to find a new author. However, there are a few who I am predisposed to love, and Kate Hewitt is one of them.

Don’t believe me? Look at this review for Into the Darkest Day.

Her characters are always fully formed, and their actions are natural and organic. I feel like I have been set down in the middle of their lives, rather than watching from afar (if that makes sense). This story continues that tradition.

After a brief prologue set in 1945, the rest of the story is set in Austria, late 1930s, and told in alternating points of view of three sisters, Johanna, Birgit, and Lotte. In the face of political and national events, each of the sisters chooses a different path.

I liked how the author made each sister unique, with her own set of worries and concerns. The chapters follow pretty much the same order of the sisters, but the time periods do jump forward by a few months most of the time.

If you know anything about history, you can see the storm brewing from the beginning. What makes this book much more interesting is that the reader knows what is coming, but the characters don’t.

The author does a great job of keeping them within the confines of their personal knowledge at the time. This lends authenticity to the story while also giving the reader insight into how everything was able to go so wrong so quickly.

I’m not going to go into details about the sisters or the family, because that makes up the brunt of the story, and I would hate to ruin anyone’s experience.

However, I will tell you a few things that I noticed about this novel.

I’m a huge fan of musicals. I grew up with the classics, and I have many a cast album memorized. Two of my favorites are “Fiddler on the Roof” and “The Sound of Music.”

I couldn’t help but think of the latter one, due to the setting and time period. I even predicted a moment in the early pages. So, kudos to the author for that dose of realism. What I enjoyed however is that the author kept that realism throughout.

No spoilers. Let’s just say that if you’re familiar with “The Sound of Music,” you’ll recognize quite a bit. Some of it is mentioned clearly, but other parts are more subtle.

(Side note: when I was around 11, my parents and I visited Germany and Austria. We took a “Sound of Music” tour that highlighted real and fictional places related to the Von Trapp story. Those came to mind as I read this book).

Also, I was reminded of “Fiddler on the Roof,” in that each of the daughters blazes her own path while their parents don’t always agree with their choices. It certainly was reminiscent of the three oldest daughters in Fiddler, and how each of them grows up with a different perspective and desire.

I would have liked this book anyway because it is well-written with memorable characters and a thoroughly researched and meticulously outlined story. But continuously finding bits that I could relate to the musicals gave me an added bonus. This is an excellent book and shouldn’t be missed.

Author Bio:
Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.