Emancipation Day by Wayne Grady

First of all, let me say how happy I am to be done my book club selection with more than a week still to go before our meeting!

But secondly, I didn't really enjoy this book.  It's the story of the Lewis family during World War II and the years immediately following it.  Jack Lewis is stationed in St. John's NL with the Navy where he meets and marries Vivian.  But he is always guarded about his life and family, so that when they return to his home in Windsor, ON after the war is over, many surprises await her.  The story is told in alternating voices between Jack, Vivian and Jack's father, William Henry.

It's a story about family, race, and what it is that makes us who we are.

I found the character of Jack to be irritating.  He is stubborn, sullen, selfish and dishonest. He just bugged me.  Vivian was quite a likable character, but I felt sorry for her because of the way she was treated by Jack.

My favourite thing about this book is that fact that it was partially set in Windsor, where I lived for so many years.  It was cool to read about the places I know so well, even in a different time period.

So, I don't really recommend this book.  But if you are interested, it is a fairly quick, mostly light read.  Some descriptions of the 1943 riots in Detroit can be a bit disturbing, but all in all it is a fairly light book.