All The Broken Pieces

The Life She Forgot by Joanna Davidson Politano is a powerful dual timeline Christian novel that enthralled me from the start.

The action is set in 1913 and 1947 in a small village in Cornwall.

We learn about love and loss; and memories that sustain us or break us.

There are characters suffering from memory loss – following a trauma the brain protects a character by amnesia. Life before the accident ceases to exist. When snippets of memory return, a character questions the reliability of these memories.

We see that sometimes love means letting go, standing back, and waiting for love to return. “Love is powerful… It can be bent and misshapen and even broken, but it doesn’t simply go away.” When we love unconditionally, we will do whatever it takes in order to protect those we love. “Love means shared moments, limping through the rough patches together.”

A character fights to protect a young boy. “Love stands in the gap between this boy and aloneness.” It is love that will restore him after loss.

War destroyed lives. “He’s left France, but France hasn’t left him.” A mind was damaged in the carnage of war. “He came back… The shell of him… The rest of him died on the battlefield with his mates.” He fears that he is not good enough but his wife just wants him home. The broken pieces will be glued back together with love.

We see the importance of good foundations. “Never build your house on sand when rock is available to you.” What is true of buildings, is also true of people. We need to build our lives on the love of God and of others – when the storms come, and they will, our lives will not crumble when our foundations are strong.

All the characters were well drawn, warm and welcoming.The Life She Forgot was a powerful novel showing that love heals hearts and souls

JULIA WILSON