Those Left Behind — Melina Druga

Change isn't always for the best. Just ask the Stewards.

1914. The Steward family is eagerly preparing for the event that will forever bind them to the Bartlettes: the wedding of Hettie and Geoffrey. Little do the families know that the winds of war brewing in Europe soon will rip them apart.

Hettie and her brother, Freddie, join the Canadian Army Medical Corps. This decision is met with resistance and disapproval, causing a rift in the siblings' relationship with their parents.

Meanwhile, a decades-long friendship is tested, two other daughters' marriages are in tatters, and the scourge of influenza sweeps through the civilian population.

Will the Stewards bend under pressure or become stronger and more resilient?

Those Left Behind is the second in a trilogy following Hettie and her family as they navigate the challenges and heartbreak World War 1 brings. Each novel is a standalone story. Those Left Behind is the home front story. It is a collection of slice-of-life pieces that collectively tell the story of what happened in Canada while the events in Angel of Mercy were occurring. They are based on Hettie's letters.

Also available: Angel of Mercy, the warfront story. Adjustment Year, the homecoming story, coming in April 2021.