i enjoyed reading this book, it was well done and well written. I look forward to more from the author

It's safe to say that this one had a strong start that fell flat afterwards and did not manage to make a splendid recoverie. I do not know why I was expecting major LGBTQ content but I suppose that's part of the reason this book dissappointed me. Or maybe it was also because after that amazing first chapter/story everything that followed felt pale and constructed.
Had it just been that first story, I would have been given this book easily a 5-star rating because that first story was pure gold. But it wasn't and the following stories were a huge let-down for me.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley for an honest review.

The Russian Steppes were home to a community of ethnic Germans known as Schwarzmeerdeutsche (Black Sea Germans). After being informed they would now be required to speak Russian and serve in the Russian army, many families emigrated, some to North Dakota. As late arrivals to the Dakotas, the sandy land offered was unsuitable for farming. The land did not produce. Kaspar Feist and his son Jakob tried trapping. "Someone was walking our trail...a boot mark...too big...a heal...much more square shaped...someone's stealing from us." A jury rigged trap set a feud in motion.

Good pieces of land, with rich thick clay, were available further north in the newly formed province of Saskatchewan. According to Uncle Sebastian's letter, each man eighteen or older could file for a quarter of land in the small village of Kaidenberg. Filing fee: ten dollars. Jakob and his father could each file for a parcel of land adjacent to the uncle's land. On the trip north by boxcar, Bernhard Holtz, while drinking moonshine, punched his horse. Jakob thought, "...any man that'd punch a horse was twice as likely to hit another man". "A little compassion could've spared our families so much unnecessary pain...".

Upon their arrival at the immigrant camp, Peter Eberle was kicked by a horse. "A broken jaw...missing teeth...his true love Katherine claimed by another. Katherine and Peter had planned to meet and watch the Northern Lights before the disaster. "A bad omen for a new beginning". Peter still loved Katherine, however, their future could never have been built on the lies sure to unravel. "He'd felt the weight of God's disappointment heavy on his shoulders". Should he go west "where men were humbled by the greatness of nature...get lost there and never be seen again?" Katherine, now pregnant "hates being alone with the quiet. The sound of the wind...the land's ghosts-the many voices, buffalo, Indian...". She missed the Steppes and having people nearby in the villages. A group of men, including her husband, set out to fell aspen and birch trees as winter approached. The roundtrip would take several days.

A new pastor, Father Selz, came to the community with new farming technologies and other new ideas. "...not all in his flock were keen on the new inventions that were changing their everyday lives...their beliefs were born of ignorance and superstition...". He organized a festive picnic to celebrate the community achievements which included a church, railroad, schoolhouse, general stores and grain elevators. He would show the first moving picture to his flock of German-speaking immigrants...stories of people who live a great distance from us...we are closer to our fellow man than the distance that ships can sail or rails can haul".

"Kaidenberg's Best Sons: A Novel in Stories" by Jason Heit is a work of historical fiction inspired by the experiences of a small group of ethnic Germans who settled in Saskatchewan in the early 1900s, author Heit's ancestors among them. The interconnected stories describe the tumultuous, rigorous journey that started on the Russian Steppes, proceeded to North Dakota and then onward to the Canadian prairie. A commonality of language and heritage created a tight-knit community, however, long standing feuds remained unsettled. Hints of isolation, domestic violence and envy existed alongside hope and possible good fortune. The character development was strong and detailed. Some protagonists appeared throughout the novel, sharing their ever evolving points of view, some making only a brief appearance. This was a fascinating debut novel I highly recommend.

Thank you Guernica Editions and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.