Title: Suddenly a Larger World: Sons of Peter Olaf
Author: Richard H. Grabmeier
Publisher: Authors Press
ISBN: 978-1643147550
Pages: 262
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewed by: Tony Espinoza
Hollywood Book Reviews
If there is any one constant in this world other than love, it would most assuredly be war. War has become a defining part of human history. No matter who the person is or what are their unique experiences, any warrior, soldier, or fighter in general returns home from war a changed individual. Yet it remains vital that those returning from such harsh conditions be met with love and understanding, as well as help to deal with the changes made to them both physically and mentally.
In author Richard H. Grabmeier’s Suddenly a Larger World: Sons of Peter Olaf, the author continues the story of Peter Olaf and his family legacy. As WWI begins to take shape around the planet, Peter’s three grown sons, first his eldest Christian with the Canadian Air Force, then followed by Peter’s twin sons joining the U.S. Army, all headed off to France to fight in the grueling global conflict taking over every nation. As his sons fought their own personal battles and experienced great hardships, Peter begun losing business at his resort home in Minnesota due to people supporting the war effort, and so he ventures to France. There he reunites with his twin sons, searches for his injured eldest, and seeks out his wife’s long-lost family who are scattered amongst the war-torn country of France.
The author did a fantastic job of not only continuing Peter Olaf’s story and the story of his family after the events of the first book, but elevated the narrative by setting their next chapter in WWI. The many legacy families of this nation have many roots in the conflict which shaped the world as we know it today, and getting to see this perspective for Peter was great not only as a man trying to survive with his family in this landscape, but as a father forced to watch his sons endure the horrors of war. What stuck out to me was how the author’s use of imagery, setting, and tone all helped to elevate and hone in on both the horrors and insightful moments of war itself. War often shows us both humanity’s best and worst selves, delving into the blood-soaked fields of battle to highlight the savagery and desperation for survival that war breeds. Yet it also shows humanity at its best, as the opening chapter shows one man holding the dying body of a German soldier in his arms, comforting the scared and frightened boy as he takes his last breaths and realizing that if the boy had not sustained his injuries, he would be fighting him to the death instead, showcasing the emotional depth war often affects people caught within.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy genre fiction novels, especially those that delve into historical fiction and military fiction storytelling with great uses of family drama and emotional buildup. The heart of this book rested in Peter’s relationships with his family, from his three sons to his wife and her family and the people he befriends along the way to help him in his journey into France. The idea that his love and compassion for both his family and those he came across helped keep the family together through the bloodshed and war-torn scars they all endured was inspiring.
Thoughtful, captivating, and engaging, author Richard H. Grabmeier’s Suddenly a Larger World: Sons of Peter Olaf is a must-read historical fiction novel. The twists and turns in the narrative, as well as the larger cast of characters from the first book in this series and the vivid imagery the author builds up in this WWI setting made the book compelling from start to finish. The emotional connections between these characters helped balance out the horrors of war that were experienced, and kept the reader coming back, eager for more of Peter Olaf and his family’s growing legacy.