"The text is beautiful, emotional and flows effortlessly."
Available in kindle and paperback from Amazon.
Occasionally I read a book that I just can’t put down and Heart of New York by Emil Rem definitely falls into this category! Based on fact, it is a description of a family holiday in New York during a Christmas break. Emil, his wife Laura, and their two sons Alex (The Poodle) and Chris (The Monster) travel from Calgary to New York and visit the city’s tourist attractions amid intense snow storms and freezing temperatures. Each chapter of the book finds the author vividly describing an incident in New York which reminds him of a previous life-enriching moral experience. While recounting these, we learn that he was born to Muslim parents in Tanzania, and that his parents divorced when he was five. Following the divorce, his mother relocated with her son to London. As she was unable to look after her son, Emil was fostered by an English family until the age of fourteen when his mother decided she wanted him back to live with her. Emil describes many happy summers throughout his childhood back in Africa with his father. After gaining a qualification in chartered accountancy, Emil migrates to Calgary to start life afresh. While working in Calgary he meets his Filipino wife who has two degrees and is Roman Catholic. The author masterfully explores relationships with family, colleagues and with newly acquainted individuals in a collection of short stories. In contrast to the miserable weather conditions, it is the warmth of humanity which triumphs and lights up this book. The style of writing is in the third person. The text is beautiful, emotional and flows effortlessly. Dry humour also abounds throughout. In addition, each chapter benefits from having a fun, quirky illustration summarising its content. This is such a clever, compassionate, thought-provoking book that I would highly recommend it to others.
Kathryn Carruthers, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Travel |
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I definitely recommend this book.
Having read The Vanished Gardens of Cordova I was keen to read the author’s latest book and I was not disappointed. It’s a very gentle read, the author’s thoughts on life in general and family in particular as he meanders round New York describing what he sees and who he meets.... Read Full Review
