Sunday, April 16, 2017

Stand Together : "The Divide" by Jolina Petersheim

SPOLIERS!!!
So, if you have read Jolina Petersheim's beautifully written story The Alliance, then you know that Leora, Jabil and the rest of the Mennonite community had been trying to survive in the aftermath of an EMP, a disaster that destroys all technology and the dependence our society has on it. When the farm they lived was under attack by armed looters, they are forced to flee.

The Mennonites are pacifists and don't believe in taking up arms, but the Englischers or outsiders, such as Moses, the pilot whose plane had crashed in their midst, and a couple of others, have stayed behind to try to hold back this assault on the community's perimeter. Leora and Moses have come to care deeply for each other and yet Moses sends her out of harms way and into the keeping of Jabil, the man who also loves Leora.

While the community rebuilds and regroups, Leora waits for some word of Moses, who unbeknownst to her, has been wounded, and cared for by Sal, a woman with a questionable past that Leora had once helped and who had hidden during the fight and came to his aid.

As time passes, Jabil and Leora grow closer, though her heart still belongs to Moses, who, now healed, has joined a local militia based at a shut down airport. How these two and their friends and family face this new and perilous world will keep you reading and hoping for their survival.

I have to say, Jabil Snyder is such a commendable and caring man that while I found myself hoping for Leora and Moses to reunite, my heart also ached for Jabil. I can't recommend these books enough. 5 stars. A BIG Thank You to Edelweiss for granting me the DRCs!
The Nickleback song below this illustration seemed to capture the spirit of this story! Thank you Youtube!