REVIEW: When We Were Brave by Suzanne Kelman (ARC)

When We Were Brave by Suzanne Kelman

Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Dual timeline

Read: 4th June 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 24th February 2020)

★★★★★ 5 stars

Having enjoyed Suzanne Kelman's historical debut "A View Across the Rooftops", I was excited to read WHEN WE WERE BRAVE. I wasn't sure what to expect as I am not a fan of espionage or spy stories but this was so much more than that...and I loved it! By the end, I had tears streaming down my face thinking how sad it was and yet how wonderful. Recommended for fans of "My Name is Eva", it is similar in part but also very different.

Present day, London: Sophie Hamilton attends the opening of a WW2 exhibition that she helped put together when she comes across a photo that she had seen many times before. But now as it stands on display in a life-size format, she is drawn to a woman in the background exiting a building beside one that had been decimated in a raid. The woman bears a striking resemblance to both herself and her late mother Alice...but who could she be? Taking a quick snap on her phone, Sophie visits her grandmother and shows her the photo, asking her what she makes of it. Her grandmother pales...and reluctantly tells her the story of her great-aunt Vivi who shamed the family when she escaped with a German POW, therefore branding her a traitor.

Sophie decides the only way to solve the mystery is to visit the family estate in Cornwall where her great uncle Tom still lives with his daughter Jean. However, her uncle has dementia and while some days are lucid others are not. So when Jean tells Sophie about Vivienne Hamilton, her uncle's memories of his traitorous sister reach the surface for but a moment as he relives the shame. As Sophie explores the village and its museum, she comes to see how they too view the name Vivienne Hamilton with contempt.

Cornwall, 1944: With many large country houses used as hospitals or convalescent homes during WW2, the Hamilton family estate opened its doors to wounded soldiers in much need of medical treatment. Vivienne Hamilton worked as a nurse in her family home while her father and younger brothers, Tom and John, lived upstairs. Her older sister Caroline had already emigrated to Canada, so it was up to Vivienne to serve her country in the best way that she could.

One night whilst walking the grounds, she saw a plane fall from the sky in to the sea. She rang the local constables and ran to the beach to assist. An unconscious man was pulled from the water and taken straight up to the house. When he woke, he spoke French, a language Vivi was fluent in and learnt that he was part of the Resistance movement she had worked with the previous year. But when his suitcase is later recovered, it is revealed that he is actually a Nazi in High Command - a Major Marcus Vonstein. Immediately taken into custody, Vonstein is handcuffed and a guard posted outside his door. But one night, Vivi not only helps Vonstein escape but she flees with him by boat to France, her family never seeing her again.

After visiting her family estate, Sophie begins to question what really happened 75 years ago...because the photograph that began her quest for the truth doesn't fit with the story as it is known. The building that Vivi is seen leaving in that old photo was the address associated with the SOE, a secret spy network set up by Churchill. A place she had no reason to be taken at a time right before she disappeared. But as Sophie delved deeper she discovered that Vivi had trained and worked as a spy for the SOE in France for a month but upon immediate retrieval her first mission was deemed a disaster and she was signed off as being unsuitable as a spy. Vivi then returned home to Cornwall where she put herself to use as a nurse in the hospital. So what happened to make her flee with a German Nazi officer?

Her own personal life a disaster after the death of her mother and baby daughter then the collapse of her relationship with her partner Matt, Sophie focuses on uncovering the truth about her great aunt Vivi - whether it be to exonerate her or confirm what is already known to be true. Travelling from Cornwall to France and then Germany, nothing can prepare Sophie for what she is about to uncover.

A dual timeline story from both Sophie and Vivi's perspectives, WHEN WE WERE BRAVE is a heartbreaking tale of love, betrayal, bravery and sacrifice. As secrets are revealed bit by bit through both women's stories, I was mesmerised and found myself holding my breath in anticipation of what will be uncovered. The piece de resistance is the Epilogue which had me literally in tears.

WHEN WE WERE BRAVE had me captivated from beginning to end with every turn of the page. Whether it was Sophie's or Vivi's narrative, I was completely mesmerised and found each journey equally heartbreaking. I cannot imagine what it was like to put one's life at risk in such a way for the greater good to save others. It does not bear thinking about what life was truly like during wartime. There is still so much we don't know from WW2 that we are still learning and WHEN WE WERE BRAVE simply reveals another facet of one of history's darkest times.

A heartbreaking yet compelling story, WHEN WE WERE BRAVE is an absorbing and well researched story into the real events of the spy network that operated in France during WW2 and the days leading up to D-Day, which I ironically write this on its 76th anniversary. While it is essentially a fictional story, the events behind it are real inspiring us to remember the bravery and courage of all those people who, during WW2, upon which this is based.

Just as the author's previous book "A View Across the Rooftops" was certainly one I will never forget, WHEN WE WERE BRAVE is one I will not forget either. Both are incredibly powerful heartbreaking stories that will remain with you long after you left them behind. If you haven't read either, then I recommend getting yourself a copy. You will not be disappointed.

An outstanding 5+ star read I have no hesitation recommending to historical fiction fans!!

I would like to thank #SuzanneKelman, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #WhenWeWereBrave in exchange for an honest review.