The Last Secret Kept (When Hope Calls)
This dual-timeline story shifts between war-torn Berlin in 1943 and a small upstate New York town in 1961, at the beginning of the Cold War and construction of the Berlin Wall – which sent fear, anxiety and shockwaves throughout the world, further entrenching post-WWII geopolitical divisions.
In the 1961 timeline, Fanny Stern is a tough, savvy courtroom lawyer who fights for her clients and defies gender stereotypes by thriving in a male-dominated, “good ole boy” legal profession unwelcoming to women. Fanny finds her purpose and shows great empathy in helping the underrepresented, and doesn’t hesitate to jump in when her new friend Gina’s mentally disabled husband, Kenny, is arrested for the murder of an abusive co-worker.
Fanny and Gina form a tight bond as they collaborate to defend Kenny’s innocence with the odds stacked against them in a biased justice system – all while the pregnant teenaged Gina struggles to uncover the truth about her own mysterious family history that her cold, emotionally-detached grandmother, Helene, has kept secret, while raising Gina on her own after leaving (or fleeing?) Nazi Germany many years earlier. As the story unfolds and the plot thickens, however, Helene’s conscience may force her to reveal the dark truth to Gina.
This is a well-crafted narrative woven seamlessly between shifting timelines and viewpoints among the strong, principled women trying to protect Kenny and reconcile their internal conflicts – all within a tumultuous historical context that makes the situational pace and urgency more compelling. After a smooth, entertaining read with well-developed characters who show the strength and resiliency of family, love and friendship, I look forward to the sequel.
