"Eli's Promise" by Ronald H. Balson is one of those book that you will remember for a long time. I have read a lot of WWII books, both historical fiction and nonfiction, and this was one of the best. It tells the story of Eli and his young family at the beginning of the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. Eli owns a lumber yard and supplies the town and surrounding area with materials to build and repair structures. The town is hit by a blitz of bombing prior to the invasion and hour by hour, day by day the Jewish people lose more of their property, rights, and humanity to the ghoulish presence of the Nazi's. There is one man that seems to be the liaison between the Germans and the Jewish people. Is he their savior or there anti-Christ? This novel extends spans approximately 30 years from 1939 until the 1960;s as Eli survives the invasion, imprisonment, waits for an American visa, and settles in America. It is an amazing story. The post war struggles of and amount of time spent awaiting places of acceptance is a part of the post World War II story rarely written about. Read this book, it is one of extreme tragedy and triumph of the human spirit over real evil. Well researched and well written. Thanks to #NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read and review #NetGalley#Eli'sPromise.
This book earned a 5 star rating from me.