Little Souls- Sandra Dallas
First and foremost, thank you @StMartinsPress for this treasure of a novel. Happy Pub Day, #LittleSoulsBook
1918, Denver Colorado in the midst of World War I and the lethal Spanish Flu. Sisters Helen and Lutie had moved to Denver in hopes of a fresh start but they could never have anticipated the outbreak of the lethal Spanish Flu and the horrific war overseas, turning theirs and everyone else’s world upside down. Little did they know, these tragic events would almost pale in comparison to a set of circumstances that fall into their lap.
An act of self-defense leaves a dead man lying on their kitchen floor; a vile creature, former tenant, and father of a now orphaned little girl named Dorothy. Helen and Lutie are left to cover up the scene knowing the court would never believe the word of two women. Meanwhile, Lutie is struggling with her fiancé being overseas and Helen, a nurse, is up to her elbows in the horrors of caring for the victims WWI and the Spanish Flu. A murder investigation ensues, secrets are revealed, and the plot thickens as these sisters lean onto each other for support now more than ever.
I adored this book. I devoured this book…This historical fiction touched every corner of my “little soul” so profoundly. I was wholly invested in Dallas’s lovable protagonists and the extraordinary bond of sisterhood from the start.
The turmoil taking place in this historical fiction holds as much relevance today as they did back then. There is one particular struggle that I won’t share here because it’s somewhat of a spoiler but I am so thankful Dallas chose to include this in her story-she truly gives a voice to the down trodden, the little souls. And, of course, I am yet again blown away by the striking familiarity of a world battling the Spanish Flu to today’s ongoing pandemic.
Little Souls is not a one-note story. It is richly complex unveiling layers after layers.
Murder, romance, secrets & scandal, strong women, and a found family. My fellow historical fictionistas- Little Souls is a book you’ll be pleased to have grace your shelves.
