A young man comes of age and crosses continents in search of an identity—and a cause—at the dawn of the Spanish Civil War in a thrilling, timely, and emotional historical saga.

New York City, 1929. Young Theo Sterling’s world begins to unravel as the Great Depression exerts its icy grip. He finds it hard to relate to his parents: His father, a Jewish self-made businessman, refuses to give up on the American dream, and his mother, a refugee from religious persecution in Mexico, holds fast to her Catholic faith. When disaster strikes the family, Theo must learn who he is. A charismatic school friend and a firebrand girl inspire him to believe he can fight Fascism and change the world, but each rebellion comes at a higher price, forcing Theo to question these ideologies too.

From New York’s Lower East Side to an English boarding school to an Andalusian village in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Theo’s harrowing journey from boy to man is set against a backdrop of societies torn apart from within, teetering on the edge of a terrible war to which Theo is compulsively drawn like a moth to a flame.

My Thoughts:

This is not my usual kind of read but I wanted to give it a try as I am always open to new genres. It is set in 1929 in New York and we follow Theo, who is in the thick of the Spanish Civil War. He wants to fight and change the world but he cannot do it all by himself, he must prove his worth. It shows a journey of a boy becoming a man and some of the things he goes through and sees along the way are truly frightening. It was a very eye opening story that is powerful and captivating. I did find it quite heavy going but I am so glad I chose to read about such a strong and poignant story.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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