“We Hope for Better Things has it all: fabulous storytelling, an emotional impact that lingers long after you turn the last page, and a setting that immerses you. I haven’t read such a powerful, moving story since I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school. This book will change how you look at the world we live in. Highly recommended!”–Colleen Coble, USAToday bestselling author of the Rock … bestselling author of the Rock Harbor series and The View from Rainshadow Bay
**
When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request–that she look up a relative she didn’t know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos–seems like it isn’t worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time.
At her great-aunt’s 150-year-old farmhouse, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think.
Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes readers on an emotional journey through time–from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War–to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide.
**
“A timely exploration of race in America, We Hope for Better Things is an exercise of empathy that will shape many a soul.”–Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials
“I applaud [Erin’s] courage, her authenticity, her beautiful turn of phrase, the freshness of her imagery, and the depth of her story that speaks to a contemporary world where understanding is often absent. We Hope for Better Things is a remarkable debut novel.”–Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author of Everything She Didn’t Say
“Erin Bartels’s We Hope for Better Things shares the joys and sorrows of three women from different generations. A roller coaster of emotions awaits as you share the lives of these women and hope along with them for better things.”–Ann H. Gabhart, bestselling author of River to Redemption
“Storytelling at its finest. Erin Bartels delivers a riveting story of forbidden love, family bonds, racial injustice, and the power of forgiveness. We Hope for Better Things is a timely, sobering, moving account of how far we’ve come . . . and how much distance remains to be covered. A compulsively readable, incredibly powerful novel.”–Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times bestselling author of The Life List
“There is the Detroit we think we know, and there is the Detroit full of stories that are never brought to the forefront. With We Hope for Better Things, Erin Bartels brings full circle an understanding of contemporary Detroit firmly rooted in the past, with enthralling characters and acute attention to detail. It’s a must not just for Detroit lovers but also for those who need to understand that Detroit history is also American history.”–Aaron Foley, city of Detroit’s chief storyteller and editor of The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook
“In this powerful first novel . . . Bartels successfully weaves American history into a deeply moving story of heartbreak, long-held secrets, and the bonds of family.”–Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
more
Historical & current. The book has many twists & turns. It is a story about decisions we make do affect the future. It beckons another novel. I can’t wait to read more.
4.5 stars
“The past is never as past as we’d like to think.”
Following an investigative assignment gone awry, Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsom finds herself without a job and handed with a nearly impossible possibility; tracking down an elusive great aunt in order to assuage the guilt of a total stranger. What kind of story did this camera preserve? Why is James Rich so adamant that Nora Balsom would be interested in reclaiming it? And why won’t he deliver it himself?
Out of that bizarre lunch encounter, not one but two stories emerge, that of her Aunt Nora (on the verge of losing her recollections to dementia) and that of the long ago inhabitants of the house Aunt Nora calls home. It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. . . .or is there hope for a better way?
When it comes to the issue of racial divides and unfair social mores, generations have felt the impact of discrimination. This book bravely sorts through a family history that repeats itself, and yet at the same time inspires a different outcome.
Book provided courtesy of Baker Books through Interviews and Reviews. The opinions stated are entirely my own.
A box of photos, an elderly aunt the main character didn’t know about, and an old house.
Was it fate that Elizabeth had lost her job as a journalist because of a story she was covering?
Was it fate that James Rich found her and wanted her to return some photos to a Nora Balsam?
Was it fate that Elizabeth fell in love with Aunt Nora and with her home the minute she met her and stepped inside the family home?
As the chapters alternate between the three Balsam women, we meet Elizabeth present day as she is finishing up a story and gets fired because of the story and as Elizabeth meets James Rich who has a task for her she doesn’t want to do until she finds out that Nora is her great aunt.
We meet Nora in her younger days and in present time. Going through her house and seeing the beauty that was once there pulled me in.
We also meet Mary Balsam dating back to 1861 and the first inhabitant of the house Nora now lived in.
I love old photos, old houses, and stories that our older relatives have to tell us about their lives and the time period which they lived in and how they lived.
Elizabeth found all of those things, with the best things being the old house with stories of its own and the stories of the three women’s interesting lives.
One problem, though, was that Nora wouldn’t talk about the house or tell any stories at all about her past life.
When Elizabeth finds locked rooms, gravestone markers, and many beds lined up in the attic my interest peaked.
Those readers who enjoy historical fiction, secrets, surprises, and an unraveling of the past will thoroughly enjoy WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS.
And, of course, the characters were simply wonderful. I didn’t want the book to end because of them.
WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS has a warmth that will linger with you and a wonderful history lesson.
Ms Bartels’ debut novel has flawless writing and a marvelous story line. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via Bookishfirst in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for years. YEARS! And I’m so glad to have finally gotten the chance. Beautifully written, We Hope for Better Things is a retelling of Michigan history. Some of that history is hard to face. But Bartels writes it with accuracy and heart.