THE SLOW MARCH OF LIGHT | SEPTEMBER BOOK CLUB
I love books and reading for two main reasons, for the things I can learn, and the places (my imagination) can go! It’s works like my September Book Club choice that check both boxes!
The Slow March of Light, by Heather Moore, is an historical novel, based on a true story and inspired by actual events.
I was a toddler, living worlds away, when a wall of barbed wire was erected in the middle of the night, dividing one of the largest European cities, Berlin, into two very different countries; Soviet-occupied East Berlin, under communist rule, and West Berlin. Too young, and too far removed to wonder what that must be like.
But now, now I find myself lost in “what ifs.” What if I was a toddler living on one side of that wall? What if part of my family were on the other side of the wall? What if I was older? Would I risk my life and those that I love to do try and change our circumstances? What would that be? (“Of course,” my imagination says, “of course you would!”) But we all know imagination and reality are two entirely different things…
In our novel, Luisa Voigt doesn’t have to imagine a thing. It’s all too real for her. After the barbed wire goes up, her grandmother is trapped inside isolated East Germany; Luisa joins a secret spy network, whose mission is to smuggle those on the other side into West Berlin.
Bob Inama doesn’t either. A United States GI stationed in West Germany, he receives classified orders that place him on the other side secretly gathering intel to map out military targets. And then he is captured, imprisoned, and tortured. Thoughts of the lovely woman, Luisa, whom he met before his clandestine assignment, provide the glimmer of hope he needs to make it through each day of his confinement.
Told in alternating chapters, Luisa and Bob become endeared to me (and will to you!) and I drift away with them, vividly imagining myself in their situations trying to decide what to do next, and living through the drama of their stories.
Author Heather B. Moore has written a story that pulls you in, and like Bob’s imprisonment, doesn’t let you go until you’ve turned the very last page.
Begin your adventure by watching the introductory video (which includes an interview with real-life veteran, Bob Inama,) and then use the purchase link to pick up your copy HERE.