Until We Reach Home

Until We Reach Home

By: Lynn Austin

428 pages paperback

2008

Russell and I were living at a condo on at least 11 non-stop lanes of Houston highway and excitedly just signed a rental agreement for a charming home built in 1894 and nestled near a park in Brenham, TX… then the deal fell through and I knew on that rainy, sad day a good book would help.  The title, Until We Reach Home, caught my attention in the church library and I recognized the author from the first novel I read in 2011 so I gave it a go.  The story begins in rural Sweden in January of 1897 and concludes in busy Chicago, IL about nine months later.  Three sisters go through noticeable individual change as they journey together, leaving the familiar for the unknown.  The novel had several twists and turns that one can expect to make up a 400 plus page story, and when the last page was turned I was thankful that there was not a sequel as I have read enough of the three of them.  To be fair, there is a good deal of description (and I like how the author threw in some words in Swedish here and there) among the sappiness, preaching and silver- lined clouds.  It did hold my interest as a decent distraction and it was hopeful to read of other sojourners and how they made it.  Maybe one day Russell and I will reach home too.  “We’re going to trust God, just like Mama did.  Even when she was dying, she trusted Him and never doubted His love, remember?  Things might still be a mess right now, but He can make everything right.  He is already making it right.  We thought everyone in our family was gone and that it was just the three of us, but now our family is starting to grow again….”  This optimistic outbreak from the youngest sister is worth holding on to.    If you are looking for a light, journey kind of story, reading about Elin, Kirsten and Sofia could be the book for you.