World War II Database

The novel Everyone Brave is Forgiven, by author Chris Cleave, was another one of my diversions. The story took place largely in London and Malta during WW2. Both locations faced aerial threats, but the war itself only served as the backdrop. In fact, I wondered if the story, with minor tweaks of course, could easily be refitted into the current conflict in Syria. The main plot line revolved around the lives of a socialite, an educator, and a conscript soldier, whose paths intertwined in a love triangle. The author's style of narration was light, as if each paragraph was simply presenting a mundane slice of life (there were exceptions, of course, given the devastating effect of modern aerial bombing), yet the simple narration on friends bantering, letter writing, and waiting out an air raid all achieved a wonderful degree of character development. Supporting characters were used expertly to develop the main characters; for me, the one who stood out the most was the black child Zachary whom the author used to provide Mary, the socialite, incredible depth.

I had reviewed this title in its audio book format. I thought Luke Thompson performed most admirably, and certainly would look for his name when I browse through audio books in the future.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven was a welcomed diversion. I certainly enjoyed it on my daily commute.