Portofino

Short Review: an autobiographical novel of a missionary family's vacations in Italy. This is clearly a fictional version of the Schaeffer family and the start of Frank working out his demons that he later was more explicit about in his two memoirs. One of Frank Schaeffer's strengths as a writer is that he can have characters do and say horrible things without losing compassion for the character themselves. But, I think because I have read his memoirs first, there is an uncomfortable feeling reading the book. I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop all the time.

On the whole there is less anger and more compassion in this book, especially for his mother, if anything it is the sisters that look worse in Portofino than in the memoirs.

But Frank is a talented writer and the story is a decent one. But I need another six months or so before I try to read another one.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/portofino/