Sail Upon the Land by Josa Young

Sail Upon the Land
By Josa Young
Published by Keyes Ink (1 December 2014)
ISBN: 978-0993124808

Goodreads description
The mysterious death of a young mother damages the precious, protective bonds of family love.

What happens when two fractured families collide in the dynamic social landscape of the last eighty years?

SARAH
Is the courage she displays during WWII enough to carry her through a long life of love and loss?

MELISSA
Living in her own fairytale, will she find the strength she needs to survive reality?

DAMSON
Rejecting her background when her stepmother makes life intolerable, can this driven young woman ever find her way home?

MELLITA
Who is she really, and will she deliver the one precious gift that will heal all their wounds?

My verdict
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Sail Upon the Land follows four women through the generations, over a period of 80 years. Josa Young carefully weaves in stories of love, hate and tragedy, and how these shape the lives of each generation. She addresses the complex relationships between mothers and daughters, as well as issues such as rape, abortion, birth defects, mental illness and abandonment.

The book is written with vivid descriptions of each time period, ranging from the 1930s to the present day. Each character had their individual strengths and weakness. Sarah, the matriarch of the family, had the most resilience. Melissa is the fragile one, while Damson has the most determination. The character I liked the least was Mellita, but this may be because her character didn't get enough page space to develop fully.

The book begins and ends with the story of Damson, which made the book come full circle and seem complete. Overall, this is a powerful family saga and I hope to read Josa Young's previous book, One Apple Tasted, in due course.