Winds of Passage — Susan Davis

Winds of Passage, a novel, is a fictionalized account of true events that examines the spiritedness and formidable strength of three Norwegian women who loved their country but were compelled to leave family and hopelessness behind. On an isolated island, off the coast of Norway, a young fisherman's daughter wishes for an exciting and romantic life; but this is 1915, a time when childhood is a privilege reserved for the wealthy. Marie's world collapses when she is forced into servitude and this strengthens her determination to find her own way in the world. Emma, a strong, educated, independent woman, is harboring a secret that changed the course of her life and drove her to immigrate to Chicago. In spite of the difficulties of adjusting to a new country, Emma urges her niece, Marie to join her. With little means between them, they seek the aid of their cousin, a Lutheran Deaconess Missionary. Sister Christine is stationed in China; a place where strange pagan beliefs, marauding bandits, plagues, demon possession and abandoned baby girls are all in a day's work. Once Sister learns of Marie's plight, her greatest desire is to liberate her cousin from the patriarchal, class-divided society she had worked so hard to escape. Underlying their journey is the mystical, and how the unseen forces of superstition and religion influence their worlds.