Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You

Just this afternoon during my lunch break I finished Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You by Hanna Jansen (translated from the German by Elizabeth D. Crawford) --I knew for certain that I must post about it quickly as it is such a stunning, important book to recommend to you all. Jansen bases the novel on the real life experiences of her adopted daughter, Jeanne, who lost her home and entire family within the span of a few days during the Rwandan genocide when she was just eight years old. It is included in our Young Adult collection, but I think it should also be a part of the adult selection so as to increase its chances of people getting their hands on it. I first heard of it while looking for titles to update our human rights book lists and while the thought of reading about a young Tutsi girl who survived the Rwandan genocide seemed somewhat daunting and something that I knew I'd have to emotionally/mentally prepare for, I also felt that I needed to read this book. And what a rich, deep read it turned out to be --so worth it! Jansen begins each chapter with a journal-like entry addressed to Jeanne, documenting her thoughts and experiences in writing the book that we now read. We learn how much the author relies on her daughter for support in her writing, getting wonderful, little glimpses as to what Jeanne's life is now like with her new family in Germany. What this does, in fact, is reassure the reader that Jeanne will be okay, that she survives, she lives, and she finds love and trust again after having every reason to turn herself away from such things forever. It makes reading about this horrifc experience bearable, even beautiful. Jeanne is the ultimate testament to the human will to live.

The Thirteenth Tale

The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield is a very satisfying gothic story in the manner of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. The story is more contempory though difficult to tell when it takes place (maybe 1960s?). I listened to it on my iPod and found myself losing track of time -- on the treadmill, doing housework, gardening. It is really several stories entwined into one sweeping saga.

First there is the tale of Margaret, a young woman who works in her father's antiquarian bookstore She reads mostly 19th century fiction and biographies and writes the occasional essay for publication. She harbors a secret tragedy from her past. A letter arrives the most popular novelist of the day whose pen name is Vida Winter. Miss Winter wants Margaret to write her true biography. Margaret who had never read any of Miss Winter's books hesitates to get involved.

Second, is Miss Winter's story as told to Margaret of the feral twins, Emmeline and Adeline, their mother, Isabelle; their uncle, Charles; the housekeeper; the governess, and the gardener; the strangeness, the neglect and the fateful, the secrets and the tragic fire that destroyed Angelfield estate, the family home.

Third, the story of Margaret and Vida Winter -- the revealing of their pasts, the intersecting and weaving of their stories, the forging of a bond, the unfolding secrets, the developing friendships.

Just when I started to think I had the story figured out it would take a new twist and I would have to rethink where it was going. This isn't a YA book by definition but we do have it in our YA collection. There is violence but not graphic, no sex, no inappropriate language. The emotional issues are complex. I don't think I would recommmend it for a precocious preteen. The themes are mature.