"The Divine Proverb of Steusel" was one of the books I highly anticipated reading in 2024, especially in light of the spectacular debut of the author's first book, "The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip." Unfortunately, I walked away disappointed in this book.
The story is about 26 year-old school teacher Nikki Werner, who flees after the last day of school to her grandparents' old farm still run by her Uncle Wes, who she has only met a hand full of times. She runs because her father, who rather aburptly divorced her mother, secretly remarried and announced it on social media. Added to the stress and wounding of that, her boyfriend wants to propose. She is struggling and can't find her way forward. When she finds an old notebook filled with German recipes and wise sayings, she embarks on cooking the recipes in order to find healing for her heart. She also helps renovate the farmhouse for the summer with her Uncle Wes. Will she find healing in this town during the summer?
One of the things that drew me to the book was the description that she would not only make the recipes, but invite people from the town to share their stories with her. This is not an idea of her own, rather one cooked up between her Uncle Wes and the delightful Aunt Emma (who does not get enough page time at all, in my opinion.) However, that concept never comes to fruition in the book. Rather, only two people other than Uncle Wes ever make it to the table. To me, this doesn't serve the plot.
Another issue with the book is with the mentors, step four of the hero's journey. The book actually suffers from too many mentors, who, strangely, never feel they can ever speak straight into Nikki's life. Neither do they ever ask her to talk about her pain. There are huge amounts of avoidance that weigh the plot down. Other reviewers have mentioned Nikki's incredible immaturity for someone her age as a part of this. Put these two things together, and the plot drags as a result.
Avoidance plays into the romance between Uncle Wes and Joyce, which is never truly explained. What could have been a delightful midlife relationship is paralyzed through unknown past trauma that we only ever get hints of. Since the book is about exploring trauma, I expected more there.
Finally, the endings of the book rush everything to tie it up with a happy bow. Some of it doesn't make sense. The instanteous healing of a number of situations leaves the reader with a bit of whiplash.
What is good about the book? It does well with making it clear that the pain of divorce can still be intense and devastating for adult children. They require help and counseling. However, the book takes almost a transcendental path to healing that really doesn't jibe with faith.
The book had a lot of potential but many unfulfilled expectation. I received an advanced reader copy of the book as part of the Revell Reads blogger team in exchange for my honest opinion.