A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson 5 stars and a favorite

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Synopsis:
A unique and intense tale following Elim Garak as he attempts to stitch the ravaged society of Cardassia back together.

For nearly a decade Garak has longed for just one thing—to go home. Exiled on a space station, surrounded by aliens who loathe and distrust him, going back to Cardassia has been Garak's one dream.

Now, finally, he is home. But home is a world whose landscape is filled with death and destruction. Desperation and dust are constant companions and luxury is a glass of clean water and a warm place to sleep.

Ironically, it is a letter from one of the aliens on that space station, Dr. Julian Bashir, that inspires Garak to look at the fabric of his life. Elim Garak has been a student, a gardener, a spy, an exile, a tailor, even a liberator. It is a life that was charted by the forces of Cardassian society with very little understanding of the person, and even less compassion. But it is the tailor that understands who Elim Garak was, and what he could be. It is the tailor who sees the ruined fabric of Cardassia, and who knows how to bring this ravaged society back together. This is strange, because a tailor is the one thing Garak never wanted to be. But it is the tailor whom both Cardassia and Elim Garak need. It is the tailor who can put the pieces together, who can take a stitch in time.

My Review:

“ So much of what we see and hear is not the truth of any given situation; sometimes it’s necessary to close the eyes and be still, to extend our awareness beyond what we’ve been conditioned to believe is our field of sensory operation. Only then can we learn the patience to trust that all the information that we need will come to us”

Only Andrew Robinson could have written this book which makes sense because he played my all time favorite Star Trek character, Elim Garak.

I only recommend this book for those who have watched the entire Start Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes because, while I suppose you could read this if you enjoy Star Trek, the casual Star Trek reader may be lost about what happened during the show leading up to the book and what follows.

Elim Garak's story is far from over. I loved reading about how Garak became what we see and know on the TV show and walked away loving his character even more!

A side story is the letters Garak writes to his friend Dr. Bashir which is a sad and emotional read and therefore, I have included the tag "Sad" because of it.

I was not prepared for at times this story becoming dark and thought provoking about war, genocide and what happens after to those that are lucky to survive and those that caused genocide?

I read this for a read-a-thon in my group Around the Year in 52 books and am thrilled I did!