Finding Eliza by Stephanie Pitcher Fishman #whatImreading

Let’s face it, even if I can read and enjoy a lot of different genres from non-fiction to romance, I usually go for fantasy, science fiction, thrillers and detective stories. However from time to time I need a breath of fresh air and I dive in something different.

Finding Eliza was exactly that.  A beautiful breath of fresh air.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book from my to-read shelf. What was I about to find in it? Love? Mistery? A tale of friendship? A leap in the past? Eliza?

I found all of that and even more.

The style is both engaging and relaxing. I can’t find a better word to describe it. It’s relaxing and soothing as a stroll in your favourite park with an old friend, even when it touches strong themes. It’s a great page turner. It was fortunate that I had my two hours lunch break at work, because I wouldn’t have been able to resist until the evenings to read it, and even so it was hard to put it down.

Set in contemporary time, Finding Eliza leads a reader on a journey along with the main character, Lizzy. It’s a journey in her family history, which proves to be more complicated than it seems, but also in her personal history, marked by a tragic event in her childhood.

But what is this about?

It’s about how much damage an old diary can do to one’s peace of mind. It’s about the importance of past and how much it influences the future. It’s about family bonds and friendship and how much they can help in healing wounds. And it’s about faith and forgiveness.

This story, told with grace, elegance and a touch of humor, is bound to entertain the reader but also to raise questions. What would you do if you find an old family secret in an ancestor’s diary? Are you sure you know enough of your family and your past? Would you be able to understand? Do you possess the kind of faith necessary to forgive?

Besides the main female character, protagonists in the journey are The Gals, a group of special friend that will help Lizzy in this difficult time. My favourite is Miss Blue, I can feel similarities between us, but the Gals must be considered as a whole. Without them the novel would lose very much.

I don’t want to reveal too much, let me just say one last thing. The novels I really love are usually the ones that makes me want to write. This one made me resume my old habit of keeping a diary, a habit I lost more than a year ago, and made me look at it with different eyes. Moreover it made me long to know more about my family history, even if I’m pretty sure no big secrets are hidden there.

Learn more about Finding Eliza and the author, Stephanie Pitcher Fishman here.