Reviews

Unsettled by Patrícia Reis

weebulls's review

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A

3.5

gretel7's review

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.75

I received this from Netgalley.com. 

Set in dual timelines, current day Van conducts an indepth research into her family history. 

I much preferred the older storyline.  I'm wondering (a bit confused) how the current timeline added to the overall scope of the story.

librarymouseblog's review

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Unsettled by Patricia Reis is a sweeping historical drama covering multiple generations over the course of 100 years. 

Unsettled alternates between the Reinhardt family’s life in the 1900s and descendent Van in the early 2000s. Spurned by the death of her father, Van embarks on a project to research her family’s history. As she researches, she begins to untangle a web of family secrets. 

Immigrating from Germany, siblings Kate and Adam Reinhardt arrive in America looking for opportunity. Along with Adam’s wife Letty, the three move to Iowa and begin a family and farm. Yet, all of their good fortune comes crashing down with an unexpected death, which triggers a domino crash of misfortune that continues to be felt generations later. 

This novel is broken up into two sections: narration from members of the Reinhardt family and Van. These points of view flip back and forth, with sections of Van’s musings, travels, and research questions interspersed with members of the Reinhardt family’s life. 

One aspect I consider when reviewing is if the author achieved the original purpose of the novel. From reading the novel and the author’s endnote, I believe the main purpose of this novel was to show how history, especially personal family history, is lost to the ravages of time. Official records are spotty, personal writings are rare, and inner thoughts are unknowable. History, especially women’s stories, is often lost to time. 

Reis illustrates this fact with the dual narration. While this was a great concept in theory, while reading I found myself drawn much more to the historical flashbacks, with their rich character development and flowing prose. 

Most times, I skimmed through Van’s sections. The dialogue in these sections felt fake. Instead of an internal monologue, Van would say everything she was thinking out loud, which felt cheesy. Van’s reactions to uncovering secrets about her family were overly emotional and not believable, almost as a way to inject some sort of emotion into her chapters. 

It also didn’t feel like Van’s storyline added much to the story. Her character was meant to represent how history is passed down and what is kept a secret, yet it never felt like her research and findings impacted her life in an unchangeable way. In contrast, the Reinhardt’s sections were engaging and well-written. 

Chapters in the past alternated between the points of view of multiple characters, mainly Tante Kate, Letty, and Jacob, Van’s grandfather. These sections were so well written, I wished the entire book was just about them and Van’s sections were removed entirely. 

In these chapters, the writing is grounded in historical accuracy yet lyrical. Details of the Reinhardt’s lives are fleshed out and each member of the family feels like a real person. I was so invested in each character and their lives. Reis has a knack for historical fiction, balancing historical accuracy with artistic prose. 

Despite the bumps, this was a moving read. I resonated with the Reinhardts and sympathized with their descent into tragedy. 

I feel like this would be a great book club pick, because of the multiple points of view and character development that you could discuss. An interesting conversation could be had about personal connections with genealogy research. 

While Van’s chapters are slow and uninspiring, flashbacks to the Reinhardt’s lives are emotionally charged, gorgeously written, and heart-breakingly authentic.