Love Story for a Nation by Mark W. Sasse

AMAZON UK
AMAZON US

I've read four of Sasse’s novels…four very different novels, four very enjoyable reads. Naturally, I dived eagerly into what is now my fifth Sasse read. This is not only different from his other books, it’s also hugely different from anything I’ve read before. It’s quite extraordinary. It’s a rich tapestry of many different threads: history, politics, courage, determination, love, passion, compassion, commitment, loss, heartbreak, tragedy, death, friendship, grief, surprise, sadness, joy, perseverance, hardship, danger, hope. Phew! But I’m not lying. They’re all in there.

How on earth can a story encompass all that? you may ask. Well, it does, uniquely…this tapestry is very cleverly woven and blended. You are drawn compellingly into Gerald Sanpatri’s simple, meagre life—that he lives without rancour or resentment—under the tyrannical rule of an evil dictator. It’s virtually impossible not to be smitten with this gentle, humble, compassionate and tolerant man, who fell in love with the perfect woman when he least expected it. And when tragedy strikes in a cruel way—in many ways, in fact—his quiet and gentle determination never wavers as he strives to fulfil his hopes and dreams...for himself and his country. 

There are many surprises in this book tucked into the each of its many layers. It started out as a ten-minute sketch, the author tells us, but he was encouraged to develop it, and so was born a novel of some sixty thousand words. 

A unique novel that is as heart-rending as it is heart-warming.

See Also:
Beauty Rising
If Love is a Crime: A Christmas Story
The Reach of the Banyan Tree 
The Recluse Storyteller

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