Sheila J. wood leads you through a journey of mystery and history against a backdrop of information about the world that existed before WWII and resonated after WWII. Waiting for Elijah is one of those reads where the reader is compelled to keep turning the pages as they unfold a litany of truths underlying the history of the protagonist’s family.
The book could be termed one of the best historical fiction books of 2022 because it has something to offer every reader. More importantly, it takes the reader into times where life was unpredictable, had dangerous turns, and always had elements of intrigue that contributed to survival. It reflects the fact that WWII impacted the world for many years after the war had ended
The layered plot cantilevers events in recurring present to past episodes and places you within Phoebe’s family history. It relates the struggle of people living in the times of war and post-war as they were subjected to unwavering brutality and conspiracy. You might have come across historical fiction books on the holocaust, but this one is exemplary as it keeps the interest alive and takes you towards the world of mysterious metaphysics.
- Why you should look for Waiting for Elijah:
Most people think that writing comes naturally to the writers. When a book like Waiting for Elijah comes to your shelf, you realize how painstaking a task it can be to conduct threads of research and collect information about the past before you can actually take pen to paper and create new horizons.
The story is about Phoebe, a young professional who is seeking to resolve a murder mystery and finds that her family history is interconnected as layers build within the plot.
Because it’s about the character build, has beautiful imagery, and is artistically designed around the plot, the readers are motivated to keep turning the pages. The story is built around four years of time in which Phoebe searches for the truth and traces her family connections in Europe.
2. How is the book reflective of WWII?
Wars are complex, and therefore, people who are living around the times of war are also dealing with complexities, absurdities, and even mysteries in their day-to-day existence.
Waiting for Elijah is not only about the effects of war on people across international boundaries, but also highlights both moral and social dilemmas requiring judgements and choices that might have taken a different trajectory in peacetime. Such choices resonate in the book as a constantly recurring theme. The choices are affected by an invisible blanket of insidious oppression and control that begins to slowly make its appearance years before the war begins and has a demoralizing effect on daily life before, during, and after the war.
However, it is important to note that the author Sheila J. Wood doesn’t take you to the battlefield and engage you in the horrors of direct combat. She carries you to an understanding of the position of those who are indirectly affected but still an integral part of the war effort, and how adversely they are manipulated by the over-reaching evils that take place within the theatres of war. Even though you may not be led to see the physical injuries from battle, the social outcomes of the war are always reflected in the lives of those who are closely connected with the perils.
The book challenges its characters with moral and social value choices and at the same time enables you, the reader, to understand that no matter how bad the times are, and how much hate and remorse people are surrounded by, ultimately the human spirit is pushed to rise above the horrors of war and starts to spread positivity using reserves of self-determination.
The book is all about making connections, and as Phoebe makes connections with her family history by tracing down their historical lives across four generations, she uncovers interconnected contacts at the same time, so that the trail leads to connections among people all around the world. Therefore, it isn’t an injustice to say that the book revolves around the theme of making connections at all levels.
3. Why you need to have a book like this on your shelf:
Choosing one book over the other is always a subjective choice. However, when you are looking to elevate your horizon of information, evolving knowledge, and mystery, you need to look to Waiting for Elijah as a must-buy for your bookshelf this season.