Another delightful novel from Sara Brunsvold. This is a story of Nikki, who suffers what can be best described as a relationship crisis – let down by her father, uncertain of deeper commitment to her boyfriend, which opens generational wounds that need healing.
She escapes for a summer break, where there is a charming relationship that develops between her and her uncle, who is a gateway to her discovering more of her family history. The stories are supported by newly discovered old family recipes, with the cooking leading her through her journey of making peace with the past and the future.
It is food therapy, linking the past wisdoms with the present situations. When each recipe was written down it was blended with a key verse from the book of Proverbs. The food and the scriptures minister together, intertwined.
One thing you will always get from one of Sara’s novels is a deep understanding of the characters and their relationships, seeing their doubts, fears and motivations as their lives are revealed. She writes in a way that allows the reader to empathise, befriend and by the end you feel they are people who you would really like to have as long-standing friends.
It is a story of how some of the good, wholesome things in life like scripture, family and food, can bring healing to the emotional challenges that life can throw at us. Faith is a strong backbone to this story of healing and reconciliation, inherited from a strong family tradition and ever-present.
The Divine Proverb of Streusel, by Sara Brunsvold, is available here.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy, in exchange for an honest review.
