All Manner of Things

After Annie Jacobson's older brother is deployed to Vietnam during the war, tragedy at home brings their estranged father home without welcome. As tensions heighten, Annie and her family must find a way to move forward as they try to hold both hope and grief in the same hand.

A 2020 Michigan Notable Book
2020 Christy Award finalist

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When Annie Jacobson's brother Mike enlists as a medic in the Army in 1967, he hands her a piece of paper with the address of their long-estranged father. If anything should happen to him in Vietnam, Mike says, Annie must let their father know.

In Mike's absence, their father returns to face tragedy at home, adding an extra measure of complication to an already tense time. As they work toward healing and pray fervently for Mike's safety overseas, letter by letter the Jacobsons must find a way to pull together as a family, regardless of past hurts. In the tumult of this time, Annie and her family grapple with the tension of holding both hope and grief in the same hand, even as they learn to turn to the One who binds the wounds of the brokenhearted.

Author Susie Finkbeiner invites you into the Jacobson family's home and hearts during a time in which the chaos of the outside world touched their small community in ways they never imagined.


"Finkbeiner's characters believably navigate the emotional upheaval of war, and she skillfully depicts how the Jacobson's slowly open up to one another, emerging with greater strength, faith, and mutual respect."--Publishers Weekly

"The small-town experience and connect readers deeply to characters who cry, cringe, and are, ultimately, able to rest assured that all will be well."--Booklist, starred review

"Susie Finkbeiner's new novel captures that fraught time with beauty and gentleness. . . . A beautiful, arresting novel."--The Banner