Review of The Story of Leif and Hailee
6 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Story of Leif and Hailee" by Anders Eklof.]
[I]The Story of Leif and Hailee[/I] by Anders Eklof is a historical fiction romance novel that follows two people who are in love with each other but are pulled apart by circumstances and bigotry. The characters are different in many things, their skin colour being one of them. No matter how they try to get close to each other, the world around them is very adamant about seeing them apart. The author is described as born and raised in Sweden and having lived in the United States of America for fifty years. It can be said that his personal life was a huge influence on this tale of two lovers.
Leif is a young Swedish man who comes to the United States to be trained to operate anti-aircraft defence missiles that his country has bought. He is stationed at a military base in Alabama. While acclimatising to the new environment, he meets this beautiful young woman at the cafeteria. At first, she doesn’t pay him attention. To her, he’s just one of the many customers she serves every day. But to him, that face—that smile—doesn’t leave his mind. He thinks about her all the time. He makes it his mission to go to the cafeteria to see her every chance he gets. One day, he gathers strength and approaches her. The encounter is awkward for both of them. For him, he’s nervous and hoping she won’t blow him off. For her, she’s scared of being seen with him.
It's during the nineteen-sixties, when the Civil Rights Movement is on the lips of every American citizen, especially those in the South. There is animosity in the air. White people don’t want their public spaces integrated. This is the reason that Hailee, a Black woman, is scared. But Leif is adamant about getting to know Hailee, no matter what is happening around them. He goes to the Black neighbourhood, where he sticks out, just to meet Hailee. But her parents are strict. Will Hailee and Leif finally be allowed to be in a relationship? Will the parents of Hailee accept Leif? Will Leif leave with Hailee back to Sweden if the South is adamant about pulling them apart?
Waste no breath; hurry and read this book to find the answers. Oh, how I enjoyed reading this book. Words won’t be enough to express the feeling I got while paging through it. I loved, loved, loved every moment I spent with it. When I arrived at the end, it suddenly felt short. I wanted it to go on and on. Here’s what I loved about it: the characters! They were so perfectly portrayed that they didn’t feel fictitious. Leif’s big heart, although some might view it as stubborn and at times naïve, was so inspiring to me. He didn’t want anything to come between him and his heart’s desire. Hailee acted exactly like the young woman that she was. Her indecisiveness made her realistic and relatable. I didn’t blame her fear. Who wouldn’t be scared when your governor went to the T.V. and radio stations to announce his stance against the Civil Rights Movement (C.R.M.) and was supported by everyone?
The world-building was so transporting. I have read widely about the C.R.M., but what the author has accomplished with this body of work is something outstanding. The uncertainty of everything made me catch my breath at the flip of each page. I was scared that Leif and Hailee would be found out. The world was rich with real historical events. The sit-ins and the marches were mentioned to enrich the story. The writing was my other favourite part.
How the author balanced the narration and dialogue was commendable. The dialogue made the characters real, while the narration painted the world around them. The descriptions were tailored to a tee. They didn’t feel overly done or otherwise. They just fit. The dialogue felt original and fitted each character’s background. Black people sounded authentic without being offensively stereotypical. The pacing was just flawless. I didn’t feel rushed. Action was there.
The ending was perhaps my favourite part. I won’t talk much about it for fear of letting the cat out of the bag, but I will tell you that it made me teary. It was handled with precision. The errors were there, but didn’t spoil the reading experience for me. So there was nothing I disliked about the book.
With all I have said, I rate the book five out of five stars. I strongly recommend it to everyone who loves good stories. It’s a good novel that would make you rage against the system. It would be suitable for a broader audience from the age of seventeen. I will be on the lookout for the author’s other works.
******
The Story of Leif and Hailee
View: on Bookshelves
Leif is a young Swedish man who comes to the United States to be trained to operate anti-aircraft defence missiles that his country has bought. He is stationed at a military base in Alabama. While acclimatising to the new environment, he meets this beautiful young woman at the cafeteria. At first, she doesn’t pay him attention. To her, he’s just one of the many customers she serves every day. But to him, that face—that smile—doesn’t leave his mind. He thinks about her all the time. He makes it his mission to go to the cafeteria to see her every chance he gets. One day, he gathers strength and approaches her. The encounter is awkward for both of them. For him, he’s nervous and hoping she won’t blow him off. For her, she’s scared of being seen with him.
It's during the nineteen-sixties, when the Civil Rights Movement is on the lips of every American citizen, especially those in the South. There is animosity in the air. White people don’t want their public spaces integrated. This is the reason that Hailee, a Black woman, is scared. But Leif is adamant about getting to know Hailee, no matter what is happening around them. He goes to the Black neighbourhood, where he sticks out, just to meet Hailee. But her parents are strict. Will Hailee and Leif finally be allowed to be in a relationship? Will the parents of Hailee accept Leif? Will Leif leave with Hailee back to Sweden if the South is adamant about pulling them apart?
Waste no breath; hurry and read this book to find the answers. Oh, how I enjoyed reading this book. Words won’t be enough to express the feeling I got while paging through it. I loved, loved, loved every moment I spent with it. When I arrived at the end, it suddenly felt short. I wanted it to go on and on. Here’s what I loved about it: the characters! They were so perfectly portrayed that they didn’t feel fictitious. Leif’s big heart, although some might view it as stubborn and at times naïve, was so inspiring to me. He didn’t want anything to come between him and his heart’s desire. Hailee acted exactly like the young woman that she was. Her indecisiveness made her realistic and relatable. I didn’t blame her fear. Who wouldn’t be scared when your governor went to the T.V. and radio stations to announce his stance against the Civil Rights Movement (C.R.M.) and was supported by everyone?
The world-building was so transporting. I have read widely about the C.R.M., but what the author has accomplished with this body of work is something outstanding. The uncertainty of everything made me catch my breath at the flip of each page. I was scared that Leif and Hailee would be found out. The world was rich with real historical events. The sit-ins and the marches were mentioned to enrich the story. The writing was my other favourite part.
How the author balanced the narration and dialogue was commendable. The dialogue made the characters real, while the narration painted the world around them. The descriptions were tailored to a tee. They didn’t feel overly done or otherwise. They just fit. The dialogue felt original and fitted each character’s background. Black people sounded authentic without being offensively stereotypical. The pacing was just flawless. I didn’t feel rushed. Action was there.
The ending was perhaps my favourite part. I won’t talk much about it for fear of letting the cat out of the bag, but I will tell you that it made me teary. It was handled with precision. The errors were there, but didn’t spoil the reading experience for me. So there was nothing I disliked about the book.
With all I have said, I rate the book five out of five stars. I strongly recommend it to everyone who loves good stories. It’s a good novel that would make you rage against the system. It would be suitable for a broader audience from the age of seventeen. I will be on the lookout for the author’s other works.
******
The Story of Leif and Hailee
View: on Bookshelves
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