What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.
The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.
As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?
Review: After being orphaned as a young girl, Anne Gallagher was raised by her grandfather Owen and loved his stories of growing up in Ireland. After his death, she promises to return to Ireland to spread his ashes. There, overcome with grief, she is somehow pulled back in time. She discovers him in Ireland of 1921, under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, who is a guardian of a young boy who seems oddly familiar. When everyone mistakes her for the boy's long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity. As Anne gets more and more caught up in the world of 1921, she realizes she must decide whether to give up her old life for a new love and a new chance in the past.
This novel had somewhat of a slow start, but I ended up loving it. This is time travel fiction done right. It was very trippy seeing Anne interact with some of the same characters in both timelines, but I loved how the plot was woven together and how it heavily implies that her grandfather Owen knew that she would end up going back in time and how he helped ensure that she found her way. I also loved that the author incorporated Irish historical events from the 1920s and includes the characters in Ireland's struggle for independence. I also liked that the central tension when Anne goes back in time is that people are suspicious that she isn't truly who she says she is and if she is truly that person has no real explanation for where she's been. This felt fully believable and added to my appreciation for the way the author handled time travel in this book.
I do wish there had been a bit more back story. There is little reason to want Anne to stay in her present-day timeline. Other than her money and career, she has virtually no established connections there so the tension between staying in 1921 and going back to the present are nearly nonexistent. Although I do love that she is a writer! I also wish more could have been shared about Owen and his life. He experienced a great deal of loss in his life from being an orphan as a child to having to raise his only grandchild after she was orphaned. I would have liked some insight into the in-between years and heard about his marriage and life as a father.
Absolutely loved the way the author concluded this one!! Almost had me in tears.
Stars: 4
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