When I heard there was a new historical fiction debut novel by an English author coming out, one that was placed during World War II, I jumped for joy and asked to review it. I haven’t read much about the evacuee children who were shipped to the English countryside during the war, and I was really looking forward to reading this book. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed and found it to be a compelling read. I finished the book in one sitting, because I couldn’t stop reading it. Author Catherine Hall emerges as a talent with voice all her own in this remarkable debut novel.
I love how the book begins at the start of World War II, and “the real story” ends on VE day, if you can understand my hint. Days of Grace follows the life of Nora Lynch, who at age twelve was sent to live with strangers as an evacuee during the war. She is a child of poverty, with only her mother still living, as her father died years ago. The live a life so poor their kitchen table is slowing being eaten away by bugs. The life Nora finds in the countryside with her host family is like a dream, as she has grown close to the Reverend, and his wife and daughter Grace, who has become like a sister to her. The heart of this novel centers around the friendship between Nora and Grace, and it adds a beautiful layer to the story of life during World War II. Their friendship, just like any real life relationship that begins in puberty, is strained at times by jealousy and strife. Both girls, who grow into young women, learn from one another, and as a result, both women grow as characters throughout the novel.
The life Nora lived during the war was actually better than the life she had back in pre-war London, as she wasn’t used to living in a nice house, playing outside in the fresh country air, having a good education, or even having plenty of food to eat. Nora didn’t have a sister or father back in London to pay her the attention she desperately needed and craved. Her own mother begins to realize this, and allows her daughter to stay in the country when some of the other children are returning back to London. This is the first of many guilty and regretful moments for Nora, and this reoccurring theme of regret plays throughout the novel. As in Ian McEwan’s Atonement, we see a revealing of a secret that is kept for many years, and is only revealed near the end of one of the characters lives.
I was surprised to find yet another unannounced gay romantic entanglement within this book, as I’ve reviewed a few books lately where the main character’s sexuality hasn’t been “outed” publically (or, maybe just hinted at) before the books release. Now, I don’t have any problems reading books by gay or lesbian authors or about gay or lesbian characters, even though I’m straight, but I wonder if other people do, because I wonder why this keeps happening in new book releases. In the age where gay television characters are so popular and un-closeted, why hasn’t the publishing industry embraced this custom yet? I want to ask you readers the following question – do you want to know about the character’s sexuality before reading the book, or discover it after reading a book? (If it’s after, I’m sorry that I’ve just now hinted at the sexuality of one of the characters in this book. But it was a such a wonderful story, so trust me, please still read it!) I’ve just attended my Book Bloggers Convention in New York where panelists was encouraging us to help stop “white washing” gay and ethnic characters in the publishing industry. Please understand this is where I’m coming from. I am just wondering out loud if other readers, like-minded people like me, want to find these suppressed gay characters on their own, or if they want to know about them before hand?
To buy your own copy of Days of Grace, click here.
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