A Small Hotel

The summer of 1941. Amidst a world at war, the Thousand Islands of New York are alive with the peak of tourist season. For Kennet Fiskare, the son of a hotel proprietor, this summer becomes one of a lifetime, marked by a profound love for Astrid Virtanen, a guest from Sweden and Brazil. This idyllic romance is soon overshadowed by family obligations and America's eventual entry into the war.

Military service offers Kennet a temporary respite from heartache, but the battlefields of France become a far greater test. As his battalion journeys across Europe, from the Battle of the Bulge to the harrowing experiences of Mauthausen, Kennet discovers a different kind of love: the intense, fragile, and essential camaraderie forged among soldiers. Witnessing and enduring the unimaginable irrevocably reshapes his perspective.

Years later, a potential reunion with Astrid in peacetime presents Kennet with perhaps his most daunting challenge. Suanne Laqueur's A Small Hotel, a compelling Young Adult novel, masterfully delves into the resilience, courage, and deep bonds of ordinary individuals facing extraordinary circumstances. This Historical Fiction narrative illuminates the enduring strength, capacity for love, and persistent hope of the human spirit.