no_more_shelf_control 's review for:

The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa

4.0

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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THE NIGHT TRAVELERS by Armando Lucas Correa is out today and historical fiction fans should take note!

This is an epic story that follows four generations of women from Germany in 1931 across the world to Cuba in 1942 back to Berlin in 1975. Ally and her mixed race daughter Lilith within the rise of Nazi Germany; Lilith and her newborn daughter Nadia within the Cuban Revolution; then Nadia hiding from her history as she watches the Berlin Wall fall, until her daughter, Luna pulls them all together in her discoveries that aren't what they expect.

I will admit that the WWII connection did not draw me to this title. I am glad @bookfriendsbookclub chose this, or I would have missed a gem. The events that transpired in this story were so well researched and are documented in the bibliography to an astounding degree. I had no idea about the role with Cuba at this time, and have extremely limited education about Cuba in general. This was so full of information, but it was put into the story so well that it didn't feel like learning. In fact, I now want to learn more.

I felt carried away by each woman's journey. The way it jumps forward over months or years in each chapter keeps the story from becoming too slow. This also keeps the focus on motherhood, sacrifice, and confronting the past as key points without adding too much on peripheral issues. There was perhaps a bit more information on peripheral characters than I needed, but that definitely filled in the picture.

Thank you to @simonandschuster
@atriabooks & @netgalley for this digital ARC. I was encouraged to read it, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. Now I can't wait for our bookclub discussion!