Those of you who read my book choices regularly will know
that this one is from my favourite book genre: the Home Front in World War 2.
Based on real events, this book introduces us to the difficulties of daily life
on the island of Jersey after the Occupation and acts of resistance that
were occurring at the time.
The Channel Islands suffered greatly in World War 2. Declared as indefensible by Churchill, a
chaotic evacuation ensued, but many islanders were either interned or left
behind to survive as best they could once the Nazis arrived in June 1940. They
were effectively cut off from Britain.
Daily life changed immediately with the introduction of German laws.
Fishing was forbidden, radios were confiscated, all mail was censored and life
became increasingly hard. Islanders were not permitted to meet together in groups
and hundreds died of starvation and disease due to the lack of food and available
medicines. The number of German soldiers was vast in comparison to the local
populace and people lived in fear as retribution for minor misdemeanours was severe. Life became intolerable for many.
The story centres on two friends Grace la Motee the local librarian and Beatrice Gold a local post
worker and events that took place from 1943. They have known each other for years, they are best friends and Bea is
dating Grace’s brother Jimmy. Grace is a quiet steadfast hard worker, dedicated
to her job. When the story begins, she is working as acting chief Librarian due to her boss being taken to an internment camp. She is a bookworm. She loves all
books and wants to ensure that they are available to her fellow Islanders
despite the war but her life is now dominated by curfews, rationing and
restrictions, which include her beloved books.
The Nazis banned many books in the library and ordered their immediate
removal. (An added bonus is that some of these books are detailed at the
beginning of each chapter with information on why they were banned which I
found really interesting.)
Grace recognises the importance of books and how they can
help people escape from the fear and drudgery of their lives and in particular
those who were in hiding. She secretly hides many of the banned books in a locked
cupboard, hoping that once the war is over, they can be rightfully returned to
the library book shelves for all to enjoy.
Although a quiet law abiding citizen, Grace starts to deliver books to
people living in unusual circumstances, changing the book covers to something
more innocent in case she is stopped and searched. She also, with the necessary permission
from the authorities, sets up a book club in the library where she reads
excerpts from permitted books (there is a Nazi guard in attendance) for the
Islanders to enjoy and discuss. It is a way of coming together as a community
and drawing strength from each other.
And then there is Bea- the complete opposite to Grace. She
is fiery and impulsive, hot headed but caring, and she will stop at nothing to
upset the Nazi’s and provide some resistance to the laws that now govern her
country. After a great loss in her life she is fuelled even more by her anger
to do whatever she can. This leads her to intercepting and reading mail meant
for the German authorities and discovering that some of the Islanders are
sending messages denouncing their neighbours for having hidden rations, radios
or for harbouring fugitives.
Intercepting, delaying or refusing to deliver the mail are serious
actions and could result in severe consequences if she is caught. Her anger and
rage caused by a variety of events in her life, including her sister Nancy
being seen to collaborate with the enemy, fuel her actions.
This story is full of small and large acts of courage. It
details the way different Islanders do their bit during the Occupation to help
and support others, how they raised morale, dealt with hunger and pushed to
keep the community together. It is a book about friendship and is both
heartwarming and heartbreaking. It is about how even tiny acts of bravery can
make a huge difference and ultimately, it is a book about sacrifice.
As you can probably guess, I loved it! It is fast paced.
There are lots of characters but the two main characters, Grace and Bea, I
immediately liked despite their obvious differences. Theirs is a true
friendship that endures through enormous difficulties.
Although this is a fictional story, at the back of the book
is a load of information about the true events that took place including
examples of some of the letters intercepted at the time. I have seen some of
them during a visit to the Museum there and found them
incredibly shocking. I couldn’t imagine informing on my neighbours but I also
can’t imagine living under the Nazi regime so I cannot really judge. Events at
the time were divisive – collaborators were dealt with severely – but at the
time, everyone probably did what they needed to survive and I am in no position
to judge them for their actions. Indeed, I had sympathy with some including the
German soldiers! That surprised me, but after reading some of their letters
home and their longing for peace and family, I realised that many of the young
soldiers were in exactly the same position – they didn’t want to be there, they
didn’t want to fight and they were lonely and suffering too.
Kate Thompson is an award winning journalist and novelist
who is passionate about capturing the untold stories of wartime social history.
To me she succeeds completely in this book. I couldn’t put it down as I was
desperate to find out what happened to Bea, Grace and the Wartime book club. It
seems that despite the deprivations, the library in Jersey remained as the
beating heart of the community with more books borrowed than in peacetime. And as there were no deliveries of new books,
the Islanders themselves donated their precious possessions to share the love
of stories with those around them and to provide an escape from reality for
those in desperate need.
A fabulous read, full of information, twists, turns, danger,
love, compassion, friendship and so much more.
