In THE TIME KEEPERS, Alyson Richman writes a novel that alternates between several time periods --- 1969, during the Vietnam War; 1978, in post-war Vietnam; and 1979, in a suburb of New York, where all the characters in this touching story come together in an incredibly detailed picture of life during those times. While the book is not a mystery or a thriller by any stretch, Richman keeps a bit of mystery going until the beautifully conceived ending. We can't imagine how life will turn out for these people, who are searching for belonging and ultimately will find it with Grace and her family.

There are three main characters, all of whom are adults. Grace Golden is the center of the story; in many ways, her strength and kindness drive the plot. However, Anh, the Vietnamese refugee who arrived in the US with her nephew, is also a central figure. And Jack, the boy who became a man in Vietnam, is the character we are really rooting for.

"[W]hat [Richman] does, which reaches beyond the historical events, is to tell a story about people who, while they may come from different places and have experienced varying hardships, come together as family."

Grace came to the US from Ireland as a young woman. She suffered tragedy in Ireland and married Tom Golden in spite of their cultural and religious differences. He took over the Golden Hours, the watch repair store that his father had opened. Richman makes much of the healing power of time, and how repairing watches and clocks that were broken can heal people who are broken. And here there are several broken people to be healed. Grace is not perfect; instead, Richman makes her a real person with insecurities. But her tremendously huge heart, her ability to look past appearances to see the inner beauty in people, and her innate goodness make her someone we admire. We would like to befriend her and get to know her better.

Anh represents the Vietnamese refugees who arrived here following the war. As is common when a war ends, those who supported the Americans are left behind and treated horribly by whatever new regime is in place. In Anh's case, her husband and her sister's husband worked with the Americans during the war. When the communists regained control of all of Vietnam, those who collaborated with the US were treated cruelly. In fact, Anh's husband is brutally beaten to death in one of the flashbacks that we read. After his death, she finds out she is pregnant, which she desperately had hoped for. Her sister had a son, Bảo, and after Anh's husband is murdered, they know it's only a matter of time before her sister's husband is also killed. So they make plans to escape Vietnam and go to America. But on the deadly trip, Bảo's parents drown. So Anh and Bảo arrive in America together, both horribly bereft and traumatized by their losses.

Jack was a young man when his number came up to go to Vietnam. He was handsome and charming, and he had a girlfriend he loved. We see the horrors of his time in Vietnam, and we are touched by the letters Becky sends him. Jack and Becky started dating their senior year of high school, and now that he's almost 21, he knows he wants to marry her. Becky is studying to be a teacher, and Jack knows that when and if he returns from the war, he never wants to leave her side. But when he is horribly disfigured, he believes that there is no way she could love him.

These three characters come together in a small town on Long Island. It's a different time in America, and Jews and immigrants are often looked at askance. There are those who don't welcome the Vietnamese refugees who have taken shelter in a building run by the local Catholic nuns. There they learn English and how to assimilate. Anh and Bảo are living there, and after Bảo runs away and Grace finds him, their lives become irretrievably intertwined.

Each of the adults in the novel, and Bảo, have experienced trauma in their lives. They find comfort and redemption through the kindness not only of Grace, but also of her husband, who found solace at the Golden Hours. When Tom meets Jack at the VA hospital, he invites Jack to work with him repairing watches and clocks, which Jack finds interesting and healing. Eventually, Jack becomes a part of the Golden family. Their home is the only place outside of his apartment, above the store, where he feels comfortable.

There are more characters, there is more tragedy, and we wonder what path the story and those who reside in it will take. Richman has carefully researched almost all aspects of this touching and emotional novel; so much of it is inspired by actual occurrences. But what she does, which reaches beyond the historical events, is to tell a story about people who, while they may come from different places and have experienced varying hardships, come together as family. Perhaps the heart of THE TIME KEEPERS can be best described with a quote included in the book. Jack is explaining to Bảo how to repair a watch and says, "You have to imagine that the inside of a watch is like a human heart. When it's broken, you need to mend it with a lot of care."

That's what the Golden family provides to the broken people who become a part of their lives --- a lot of care and a lot of heart. And that's what you'll feel after finishing this novel. I wonder how many people will read this beautiful story and not shed a tear at the end. Not many, I imagine.