SUSAN R.E. WALL - TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL - REVIEW
For proud wife and mother, Susan R.E. Wall, True Love Conquers All started out as a labour of love: A gift for her daughter to see into the past and learn about the grandparents she never knew, all through a collection of more than 60 well-preserved love letters. What eventually came of it was a novel dealing in a lot more than romance. It serves as a historical telling of one of modern history’s darkest chapters, and how the most treasurable of memories can emerge from the most turbulent and unlikely of places.
Written through the eyes and experiences of her own mother, Susan R.E. Wall uses True Love Conquers All to tell the real-life story of Erika Schild, a girl born in Berlin, Germany, during the economical hardship and social unrest which led to the rise of the Nazi party and the Second World War. Having lost a father and brother at an early age, Erika grows up striving to earn a living and career while the horrors of facism and conflict unfold around her, until eventually, she meets the man of her dreams. John is a British soldier who bumps into Erika in a corridor. From there, it is love at first sight, and so begins a journey of hope, resilience, and undying romance.
Susan R.E. Wall recounts the journey in a linear fashion, beginning with the origins of her great-grandparents and the birth of Erika, all the way through to Erika’s marriage with her husband John Crowley in the 1950s. These richley written accounts are substantiated with an assortment of poignant and fascinating images, well preserved through the corridors of time. Whilst many of these consist of photographs of family members, material possessions, and their relevant locations, there are also numerous letters, legal documents, and publications that help bring the written descriptions to life in a striking and vivid fashion.
One of the most remarkable elements of this book is the density and clarity with which Susan R.E. Wall writes. Telling the story through the eyes of her mother with this level of detail, (so much so in fact, that one could be forgiven for mistaking the novel’s author to be Erika Schild herself) is a feat unto its own. But the novel also has a deep level of credibility and humanity. Small personal details are weaved in with the complex political and social context that surrounds them, giving readers a wholly three-dimensional account. It is clear from the start that the writer placed a vast amount of time, care and research into this project.
To describe in the simplest of terms, True Love Conquers All is split into two chapters of history: Before Erika met her husband John, and after. As Erika met John in the aftermath of the Allied Forces arriving in Germany to provide aid and relief to German civilians following the defeat of the Nazis, it’s no surprise to learn that Erika’s tale of youth runs parallel to the rise of Facism in Germany and the horrific consequences it had for the country and its people. This segment of the book in particular showcases Susan’s ability to recount history through her writing. The timeline leading towards the rise of Adolf Hitler and the effects thereafter is historically on point and with no sparsity in detail. Whilst love and hope are the novel’s core themes, these chapters in particular make for uncomfortable yet vital reading.
Thematically, the book is about hope over adversity and the joys that love and kindness bring to the world. But it’s no mean feat that True Love Conquers All also serves as a historical document for events never to be forgotten or lightly retold. Through reading books like this, one can gather a valuable perspective on how the world has changed since, as well as how the world in its most modern incarnation still has the potential to tread dangerously close to repeating mistakes of the past. The kindness, sincerity and humility of the main character also assures readers beyond any prior doubts that greed, bigotry, and ignorance will always lose to love and understanding, but not without dire consequences along the way.
Given that Nazi dominance harboured atrocities so severe that even the novel’s main character wishes not to recall every single one, it’s something of a respite that the second act of the book covers the joy, fun and matrimony that Erika and John experience together after their extended families become one in mid-20th Century England. And as one would expect, these romantic musings are told with the same level of detail and colourful description as everything else in the book. It is a rich tapestry of life that effortlessly transports readers into a world that in many cases, will be beyond their own.
True Love Conquers All is a magnificent and marvellously detailed window into the past, and gives a great deal more than one might first expect. This highly personal project, orchestrated by Susan R.E. Wall is vibrant, brimming with energy and revitalises a world of yesterday with intelligence, accuracy, and an abundance of heart. Showing hardship and joy in equal measure, the book presents life as a battle where love really does reign triumphant, and those seeking to read a convincing portrayal of sorrow leading to happiness in a very real world need look no further.
You can order your own copy of True Love Conquers All from the Austin Macauley Publishers website.
