Generation to generation

A young lady discovers valuable lessons left by a long-deceased relative in The Divine Proverb of Streusel (Revell 2024) by Sara Brunsvold. The book is one of two new novels that explore how the choices of ancestors can influence their descendants, even many generations later.

Four months after her parents’ divorce, 26-year-old Nikki Werner learns via social media that her father has remarried. His callous disregard for her mother causes Nikki to question the sanctity of marriage and second-guess her relationship with her boyfriend, Isaac. On a whim, she drives north from St. Louis to her uncle’s farm in rural Missouri, where she ends up staying for an extended period.

While helping Uncle Wes clean out and remodel the farmhouse where he grew up and where she has fond holiday memories of her grandparents, she unearths old books apparently belonging to her great-grandmother. One particular book—a cookbook—contains German recipes, most requiring scads of potatoes and copious amounts of butter. Accompanying each recipe is a paragraph of sage advice and bits of Scripture that point to God’s goodness despite life’s hardships—and clues to her father’s personality based on his family history.

All My Secrets (Tyndale 2024) is a misleading title for Lynn Austin’s latest book. It suggests a cheesy clandestine love affair—à la Harlequin—that some readers would dismiss out of hand.

It opens in 1898 in New York City. Arthur Stanhope III’s untimely death shocks his wife, Sylvia, and the reading of his will delivers another blow. The tycoon’s business and most of his vast wealth are bequeathed to his nearest living male relative—a distant uncle. The revelation throws his all-female household into turmoil, since women at that time had few rights apart from their husbands or fathers. Sylvia immediately plots to find a wealthy man to marry her daughter, Adelaide, in order to keep their mansion and lavish lifestyle. However, Sylvia’s mother-in-law, Junietta Stanhope, doesn’t want Adelaide forced into a loveless ­marriage for the sake of money.

A tug-of-war ensues between the two older women, and there’s an abundance of tedious dialogue about money. The point of view rotates among Junietta, Sylvia, and Adelaide, but Junietta’s story is the most compelling. Once she starts spilling “all her secrets,” readers see how her choices alter many lives for the better because her Christian faith instructs her generosity. As their family lawyer says, “It’s not a sin to be wealthy … the key is asking God what he wants you to do with what you’ve been given.”