GUARDING WHAT REMAINS

A family faces a tragedy that plunges them deep into the unimaginable trials of the Great Depression in this work of Christian historical fiction by Smith, author of The Invisible Cipher (2015).

Ten-year-old Eleanor Cruthers feels responsible for a tragic fire that burned down her family’s log home in rural Idaho. With the country in the depths of economic turmoil. Eleanor’s father packs up all that remains of their life and moves her, her mother, and her three siblings to the city of Spokane, Washington, in the hope of finding work. The family’s hopeful temperament and appetite for adventure are quickly curbed as they encounter myriad adversities; they end up living among a collection of shanties built by their residents on the outskirts of town. Industrious and determined Eleanor does whatever she can to help her family survive, including suggesting that the family raise chickens, but as winter approaches, their hardship continues to grow. Indeed, the child and her family are left wondering if God actually does help those who help themselves. It isn’t until Eleanor’s father stumbles upon a church in a different neighborhood that things begin looking up for the Cruthers family. Still, as they deal with potentially life-threatening problems, the family finds it nearly impossible to forgive people who’ve done them very wrong. The novel is full of heartwarming scenes of a tightknit family who lean on one another when the world seems set against them, and the work strongly emphasizes themes of forgiveness and generosity. Explorations of biblical quotations intertwine with accounts of human failings as Eleanor and her family struggle for survival and try to come to terms with their impoverishment. Certain passages over the course of the story come across as overly aphoristic, particularly during sermons. However, the overall effect of the narrative is uplifting and true to the characters’ struggles.

An often powerful tale of steadfastness in the face of adversity.