Zofia unhooked the grey coat hanging from a nail on the rafters. It was a little too big, but what could she expect from a shared coat...
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I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the The Coffee Pot Book Club. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.
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The Blurb
A poignant story of the impossible choices we make in the shadow of war, for fans of Daisy Wood and Marius Gabriel.
1941. When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, she is left to navigate Japanese-occupied Shanghai alone.
Far from home and surrounded by a country at war, Zofia finds unexpected comfort in a bond with Hilly, a spirited young refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria.
As violence tightens its grip on the city, they seek shelter with Theo, Zofia’s American employer. But with every passing day, the horrors of war and Haru’s absence begin to reshape Zofia’s world – and her heart.
Can she still love someone who has become the enemy?
My Review
Whenever I am given the opportunity to read a book by Deborah Swift, my heart gives a little jump of glee. The reason being, I have read several of Deborah's books now and I have enjoyed every single one of them. I will add links to my other reviews of her books at the bottom of this post.
In fact, this book exceeded my expectations and dealt with a part of history that I am less familiar with. Set in Shanghai during World War II, the book takes place following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Through the eyes of the main characters, we witness the brutality that the Chinese people faced when their country was occupied by Japan.
The book is narrated largely from the perspective of three of the characters. Zofia, a Jewish woman who was in Shanghai following the conscription of her Japanese husband, Haru, into the Japanese army. Parts of the story are told from Haru's experience as a soldier, and they lead us to question whether Zofia can continue to love her husband when she has lived amongst the Chinese and Haru has become the enemy.
The third main character is Theo, an American businessman who has sent his wife and children to Manila, where he believes they will be safe, while he stays behind in an attempt to save his business.
Additionally, there is Hilly, a thirteen-year-old German girl who has attached herself to Zofia. Her story is haunting and emotional, and my heart went out to her.
This is an incredibly powerful story that is harrowing at times. We read of the atrocities and oft inhumanity that rears its ugly head during wartime. As appalling as those acts were, I never felt as though they were included in the book in a gratuitous nature, but to illustrate the reality of war.
I was absolutely gripped by this book and I did not want to put it down. When I did, I felt it calling me to get back to it. It is an extremely emotive and powerful read. In fact, when I turned the final page, I felt a little bereft at having to leave these characters behind. When that happens to me when reading a book, I know it is going to receive a five-star rating from me.
Deborah is clearly a born storyteller. She researches the history behind her books thoroughly and then weaves the facts into a story that is immersive and compelling. She understands her characters and therefore portrays them with sensitivity and compassion. Even reading Haru's uncomfortable parts of the story, I felt she portrayed him in a way that demonstrated that he was equally a victim of the circumstances he was in. He was under pressure from his superiors to act in the way he did and the author demonstrated this well.
On a personal note, whilst I was reading this book I was staying with my son, his lovely Chinese wife and my new granddaughter (yes, there were lots of baby cuddles involved). My daughter-in-law told me that her 92-year-old grandfather fought on the side of the Chinese Army and lost an eye in the process. Hearing this brought Deborah's story further to life.
The book left me aware that there was a gap in my knowledge of this aspect of World War II history. It has left me wanting to know more, which is always a sign of a good novel.
Deborah was my guest on the blog recently talking about the hidden vice of opium in 1940s Shanghai. You can read that post by clicking here.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. I highly encourage you to get your hands on a copy and read this. I would love to hear your thoughts on the book.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 0008739737
Publisher: HQ Digital
Formats: e-book, audio and paperback
No. of Pages: 352 (paperback)
Series: Book 2 in the Survivors of War series
Purchase Links
Links to Reviews of Deborah's Other Books
Deborah Swift's Desert Island Books
About the Author
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Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. Deborah has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.
Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.
Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Award winner, and The Poison Keeper was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade.
You can also find Deborah at:
(ARC and media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)
(all opinions are my own)
(Bookshop.org affiliated)
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