REVIEW:ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES BY MONIQUE ROY

Across Great Divides

Monique Roy

Received from Author

ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES is the story of Eva and her family in Berlin. Life is grand for them and Hitler has just come into power. But then, little by little they start to witness and feel the anti-semitism and finally, they decide it’s time to leave Berlin and they head to Antwerp. From there they go to Rio and then to South Africa. Ms. Roy introduces you to this family and you almost feel like you know them. Eva’s father was living with blinders on and kept on saying it will pass and it will not last forever and at times I just wanted to grab him and knock some sense in to him. But, unlike him, I knew what was coming. These people did not.

Once the family gets to South Africa, it is almost as if history is repeating itself and they are dealing with apartheid. Now instead of the Jews being blamed for everything, it is the black population. ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES is a brilliant debut novel and you feel as if you are right there with the family living through the atrocities they are going through. Ms. Roy’s family has lived through this so she knows what she is talking about. I never really thought about Jewish refugees ending up in different countries as so much of what we were taught in school was all about the concentration camps.

I was pulled into the suspenseful story from beginning to end and had a heard time putting it down. I had to know what would happen next. ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES is not only about tragedy and prejudice. It is also about hope and never giving up. I felt a real bond with the twins and their family and my heart was breaking for them over and over again. As you are reading, you will find yourself holding your breath, afraid of what is coming. Will this family be able to survive in a world filled with hate? You will have to read ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES to find out.