“Hope is a gift. You can't choose to have it. To believe and yet to have no hope is to thirst beside a fountain.”
Started December 27th 2019- Finished January 1st 2020
Historical fiction
566 pages
Synopsis:
Following the curves of history in the first half of the twentieth century, Fall On Your Knees takes us from haunted Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, through the battle fields of World War One, to the emerging jazz scene of New York city and into the lives of four unforgettable sisters. The mythically charged Piper family--James, a father of intelligence and immense ambition, Materia, his Lebanese child-bride, and their daughters: Kathleen, a budding opera Diva; Frances, the incorrigible liar and hell-bent bad girl; Mercedes, obsessive Catholic and protector of the flock; and Lily, the adored invalid who takes us on a quest for truth and redemption--is supported by a richly textured cast of characters. Together they weave a tale of inescapable family bonds, of terrible secrets, of miracles, racial strife, attempted murder, birth and death, and forbidden love. Moving and finely written, Fall On Your Knees is by turns dark and hilariously funny, a story--and a world--that resonate long after the last page is turned.
This book is about the Piper family—a mixed family (white and Lebanese) living in Cape Breton, Canada. The majority of the story takes place during the First World War but begins before then and extends well past the Second World War.
The book begins as this story of how this family comes together and the challenges they must overcome. It’s a beautiful historical story! But, as the story trudges along, things get really messed the heck up. I started having to take breaks from the book because my mind couldn’t wrap around the events occurring. I kept thinking, “wtf is happening? Holy shit as if this just happened!”
The story begins when an older James Piper moves to Canada to become a piano tuner. He falls in love with a young Materia from a Lebanese family. Throughout the book, they raise 4 children. The eldest being Kathleen. She was favourited by her father but not by her mother. She was born with the obvious talent for singing which landed her in a prestigious school in New York. Second eldest is Mercedes. Mercedes is brought up to take the place of her mother and follows her faith strongly. The middle child is Frances. Frances is an interesting child, one who grows up feisty and troubled. The last born, and one who's parents are not exposed until the end of the book is Lily. Lily was dropped in the river by Frances, who thought she was baptizing her. Because of this accidental, almost drowning, Lily ended up with a crippled leg.
I struggled with the religious portions of the book, only because I am not religious at all. I know that it was a large part of the belief system in the past, but it was a hard pill to swallow when the author is writing from the minds of 9 year old girls who can’t even play properly without upsetting God. This really really bothers me because I believe that everyone should have a freedom to think and act as they please without the fear of ending up in Hell. This may be a controversial subject and I completely understand this, but it's my honest opinion.
There was a major grief emotion plot in the book. It shows how all the different characters dealt with their own stages of grief. I feel that it was incredibly well done. Having experienced several types of grief myself, I can empathize with several of the characters. This part of the book was incredibly well written.
Ultimately, this was a tough book to read. There are A LOT of triggers, so fair warning about that. But, I am happy to have read it.
