Literary Titan
Hearts Set Free is a unique Christian historical novel written by Jess Lederman. The novel follows the journey of a cast of seemingly unrelated characters, some living in the 1930s and some living in 2011. It is a tale of faith, love and sacrifice. Two of the characters (Yura and Luke) travel from Alaska to Las Vegas, where the majority of the story is set. Their journey is fraught with trials and tribulations, but takes on a more positive note when they meet David, a washed up boxer. Other characters weave in and out of the story, with their connections eventually being revealed. The story pits science against religion, bringing history firmly into today.
The story has a fairly simple plot. The main characters all have their faith tested as they face numerous challenges and temptations throughout their lives. Some turn to God for advice straight away whilst others have a slower journey. The tale shows that no matter what our circumstances or beliefs, we are all capable of making good choices in the end. Although each sub plot is simple enough to understand, the sheer number of subplots were confusing for me.
There are numerous characters in the story, and most are well developed. The characters personalities are unique and each has their own dialogue and vocabulary to match their upbringing and personality; "Hugo gave Billy Goat the bum's rush". There are some main characters in the story, from which the tale is told. Refreshingly there are some strong female characters, both sacrifice their own happiness at times for others. Yura and Joan are both strong women who turn to faith in times of trouble.
Set predominantly in Las Vegas, the contrasts between the 1920s-30s and 2011 are vividly and realistically described, with the use of many metaphors and similes The scenes change from freight cars to Las Vegas 30s streets, to impoverished tent cities, to glittering casinos. Throughout the book it becomes clear that those living in impoverished conditions are not the ones impoverished of soul.
The mix of history, religion and science make this novel an interesting read. Due to the sheer number of characters, plots/subplots and settings (both physical and time) the book can be hard to follow. With that said, it is worth persevering to see if religion trumps science and if love conquers everything.
