A Name Unknown 

by Roseanna M. White 

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis:

Rosemary Gresham has found her family’s ticket to a better life – at least for now – when she is hired by the mysterious Mr. V to determine where the true loyalties of Peter Holstein truly lie. Set on the eve of WWII, A Name Unknown follows Rosemary’s attempts to prove Peter’s guilt. With such a German name, there really is only one country that has his heart, surely. Peter meanwhile is frantically trying to put his library in order trying to find proof of his British Citizenship while keeping some other secrets of his own.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book. I read Christian Fiction to escape my life, be happy and find good endings. A Name Unknown fit the bill. It took me longer than I would have liked to be hooked, but I blame my busy lifestyle rather than the actual writing of the book. [I’m working 50 hour work weeks and getting my MBA so finding time to do anything besides sleep and homework really does take some doing. Thankfully I had a sick day which let me dive into this uninterrupted, to be completely honest...I finished this in class where I am, even now, as I write up this review.]

When I got into it I didn’t want to put it down. White did a wonderful job of weaving the story together, of bringing in characters that I loved. More than anything it has made me want to visit Cornwall.

It also felt timely. In a year with mounting xenophobia a book with themes of hating and fearing your neighbors simply due to their last name has been come all too strong of a temptation. We never should assume to know another person’s heart, projecting our biases and fears on to those who are around us. Peter and his struggle with his neighbors demonstrated how wrong we really can be in our judgement.

Overall, it was a nice story and I’m excited to read the next installment.