Unsettled A Novel
Unsettled A Novel by Patricia Reis, published by Sibylline Press in 2023, is a historical fiction work that spans 363 pages. The narrative follows Van Reinhardt as she embarks on a genealogical quest, delving into her family’s past on the Iowa prairie in search of an ancestor who has remained unclaimed. While sorting through her father’s belongings, Van discovers a request he left behind, igniting her curiosity about a child depicted in a family portrait of their German immigrant ancestors.
Readers will find a dual storyline that intertwines Van’s modern-day investigation with the experiences of Kate, a German immigrant in the 1870s. As Van revisits her ancestral town and uncovers probate records, farm auction lists, and asylum records, she reveals a complex and tumultuous family history. The narrative builds toward a revelation when Van discovers a small pocket-sized book that holds Tante Kate’s secret, providing the key to understanding her family’s legacy. This edition offers a rich exploration of themes related to family secrets and cultural heritage.
Official synopsis Publisher
Family Secrets. A genealogical quest takes Van back 100 years to the Iowa prairie in search of an ancestor no one has claimed.
As Van Reinhardt clears out her father’s belongings, she comes across a request penned by her father prior to his death. Examining the family portrait of her German immigrant ancestors that he has left her, Van’s curiosity grows about one of the children portrayed there.
Meanwhile in the 1870s, Kate is a German immigrant newly arrived in America with only her brother as family. When she and her brother split, she eventually finds her way back to him, but with a secret.
Van revisits the town and the farm of her ancestors to discover calamitous events in probate records, farm auction lists, asylum records and lurid obituaries, hinting at a history far more complex and tumultuous than she had expected. But the mystery remains, until she changes upon a small book – sized for a pocket – that holds Tante Kate’s secret and provides the missing piece.
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