The Cherry Harvest

May 15, 2015

It is 1944 in Door County, WI, and Charlotte Christiansen has persuaded her husband to use German prisoners of war from a nearby camp to help harvest the family's cherry orchard for another year of financial survival. Now the men have arrived, and the changes in her town, her family, and to herself are far greater than she ever could have imagined, including being attracted to one of the prisoners. Setting the story in a small community on the shores of Lake Michigan during World War II allows interesting details about daily life on the home front to become a large part of the story. Events move at a fast pace, adding to the intensity of the dramatic action but the characters are inconsistent in their thoughts and actions, making it hard for readers to become fully engaged. A series of unexpectedly abrupt and contrived plot twists toward the end may leave readers less than satisfied. VERDICT Despite its flaws, this debut novel makes a strong choice for book clubs as it addresses a wide range of topics for discussion: Is violence on a personal or global scale ever justified? Are relationships forged from necessity just as valid as those developed from emotion? Additionally, the issue of how deeply unacknowledged desires can affect the way we live is addressed. [See Prepub Alert, 12/15/14.]--Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH

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