Beyond this Broken Sky by Siobhan Curham
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Contemporary fiction, Mystery
Read: 12th April 2021
Published: 21st April 2021
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
1940, London: An unforgettable novel about the strength of the human spirit in the face of war and the remarkable women who put themselves in danger on the front lines during the Battle of Britain.
As a volunteer for the ambulance service, Ruby has the dangerous task of driving along pitch-dark roads during the blackout. With each survivor she pulls from the rubble, she is helping to fight back against the enemy bombers, who leave nothing but destruction in their wake.
Assigned to her crew is Joseph, who is unable to fight but will stop at nothing to save innocent lives. Because he is not in uniform, people treat him with suspicion and Ruby becomes determined to protect this brave, compassionate man who has rescued so many, and captured her heart. Even if it means making an unthinkable choice between saving her own life and risking everything for his…
2019: Recently divorced Edi feels lost and alone when she moves to London to start a new life. Until she makes a discovery, hidden beneath a loose floorboard in her attic, that reveals a secret about the people who lived there in the 1940s. As she gradually uncovers a wartime love story full of danger and betrayal, Edi becomes inspired by the heroism of one incredible woman and the legacy that can be left behind by a single act of courage…
A sweeping tale of bravery and self-sacrifice that shows that even in the midst of war, hope and love can bloom. Perfect for fans of The Alice Network, The Secret Messenger and The Lost Girls of Paris.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Siobhan Curham's unforgettable dual timeline tale BEYOND THIS BROKEN SKY.
I honestly don't know where to begin my review or even how to begin to review this book. I absolutely loved BEYOND THIS BROKEN SKY so much that I never wanted it to end. I found myself encapsulated within the story and every aspect of it. I kind of wished I was Edi, uncovering the mystery for myself.
Set predominantly in 1940 London, Ruby Grenville lives what some may perceive as a charmed life of privilege and entitlement in the ground floor flat of the building she inherited from her parents in Pendragon Square. At least, that is how Joseph, one of her tenants in the top floor flat, views her and with some distaste. In fact, he tries to avoid her at all costs but when the scream of the air raid siren sounds one afternoon he is loathe to discover his landlady exiting her flat behind a troupe of others she had obviously been entertaining with one of her seances again. In the midst of a war and the woman is profiteering from others' misfortunes for nothing but pure greed because she certainly doesn't need the money. But what Joseph doesn't know is that Ruby holds these seances to help give a little hope to those who have loved and lost...and she certainly doesn't charge for it. Ruby herself has found comfort in talking to her father whom she lost in the Great War over twenty years ago and she wanted to bring some of that same comfort to others.
Joseph is not the standard hero one would find typical to such a story. Instead of being a brave soldier fighting for King and country, he is a conscientious objector, a pacifist who often finds himself sneered at and subjected to plenty of contempt and ridicule by others. Why should he remain safe on terra firma while their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers are off fighting for King and country? They don't understand, nor do they want to. But Joseph is different kind of hero. He gets stuck in and helps on the home front, showing compassion and kindness where it is needed most. He fights for the underdog without having to take a life.
A seemingly carefree spirit, 34 year old Ruby lives life to the full with endless chatter and laughter often in her wake, spreading cheer where she can. She takes young Kitty under her wing and tries to bring her out of the shell her abusive husband Reg has put her in. As he is, thankfully, seconded to Newhaven serving King and country for the war, Kitty is able to enjoy life a little more with his absence. But still she lives in fear that he will come home on leave and knowing that the war won't last forever, there will be a time when he will return for good. Not one to let anything get in her way, Ruby decides to change the locks on the main door to the building and on Kitty's flat, in case Reg does decide to return for another round at his wife's expense. Kitty fears this will only anger Reg more but Ruby refuses to let that deter her as Kitty deserves some happiness in life...and not with that poor excuse for a husband either.
Then Ruby notices the looks the young butcher Freddy has been giving Kitty and that they are reciprocated. And a light goes off in her brain as she endeavours to bring these two together to enjoy a little happiness. But despite her obvious attraction for Freddy, Kitty reminds Ruby that she is a married woman...but Ruby sees that of little consequence and "only on paper". But Kitty knows different. There will be a time when Reg will return and if she dared to step out with another man, she knows she will pay...dearly.
Joseph watches Ruby's matchmaking with mixed feelings. Wondering how could the woman involve herself in something that doesn't concern her whilst at the same time knowing Kitty didn't deserve the treatment her brute of a husband dished out on her. He took pity on Kitty knowing she was in a most difficult situation in which he could see no real way out. Unless Reg became one of the war's casualties. But where he was posted there were no hostilities so that was hardly likely to happen. And Ruby herself. The woman was an enigma he couldn't figure out. Never having to work a day in her life she made things that were of no concern to her her business. And the endless chatter! Did the woman never shut up?
When one day Joseph gave Kitty a pamphlet on volunteer services, he was shocked to hear Ruby ask why didn't he ask her. Why not, indeed? Surely she could not be interested? It would mean having to get dirty, entering danger zones to rescue the trapped and injured, driving through blackout unable to see where you're going and certainly not dressed as if one has just stepped off a Paris runway! But interested, Ruby was. So together, the three of them signed up as volunteers - Kitty as a first aider, Joseph as an ambulance driver and Ruby as an ambulance attendee, having failed her driving test much to her disdain. Even more to her disdain, and Joseph's, is when the two are paired together. This is going to be a long shift, the both of them think.
However, there is more to Ruby and Joseph that the other thinks. Just how they view each other - she as an entitled carefree flibbertigibbet who wouldn't know a hard day's work in her life, and he as a dull and sombre and even depressing individual who wouldn't know how to smile or even laughter if it bit him on the proverbial - will change in the coming days and weeks as they work alongside each other rescuing and saving lives. They then begin to see each other in a different light and that maybe there is a reason they each are the way they are. Joseph is surprised to discover there is more depth to Ruby than shopping, fashion and lipsticks while Ruby discovers that Joseph is a truly kind, compassionate and selfless man.
So in the midst of war, what does the future hold for these three friends? Can they find romance whilst battling the enemy? Can they fight in the face of danger? Can they overcome in the face of heartache? And can they move on to live life to the fullest and be the happiest they can be without regret?
This story set during wartime is then cleverly woven into the present day where Edi moves into the flat she has just bought upstairs in a building situated in St George's square. She has recently moved from Manchester to take up a position as editor-in-chief of a magazine leaving her husband behind who, feeling threatened by the fact his wife was no making more money than him, belittled her achievements to inflate his own ego. When she makes a startling discovery in her loft, Edi slips and loses her footing on the ladder, falling and breaking her ankle in the process. She is bedridden and decides to read a book she had ordered on Amazon written by her downstairs neighbour, Pearl, upon discovering she was a writer. Soon Edi finds herself immersed completely in the story that she begins to draw parallels to some startling coincidences. Pearl is a slightly eccentric 77 year old whose presence Edi begins to find extremely suspect.
I absolutely loved BEYOND THIS BROKEN SKY. And I loved Ruby. She was an absolute hoot! I could almost hear her endless chatter and see Joseph rolling his eyes in the dark. Their tentative friendship was amusing to watch unfold as well as their mutual exasperation for the other. But the characters were developed in such a way that you couldn't help but fall in love with them anyway. Ruby masqueraded as a carefree spirit but she hid a broken heart. Joseph came across as sombre and depressing while he concealed a deeper pain. And Kitty was a vulnerable young woman caught up in a loveless and abusive marriage with seemingly no escape. This journey they now found themselves on would change the course of their lives forever.
The dual timeline was intricately woven together with Ruby, and Joseph's, third person person perspectives in 1940 with Edi's first person narrative in the present. But the way the author transitioned these stories so they wove together seamlessly was different, original and rather clever. I won't say how it was done but it was somewhat unique.
Another unique aspect is the author peppered some little known facts from the war and the Blitz in London. Most books of this sub-genre detail the many more well-known aspects of the time, whereas BEYOND THIS BROKEN SKY reveals some of the lesser known ones. Such as the availability of air raid shelters - particularly in the East End where the working class lived and the area that was targeted the most due to the docks - the turning away of vagrants to public shelters (because they stink out the place) and the Savoy with its own shelter below ground complete with beds, bar and a dance floor.
What was also unique was the two "epilogues", which threw me at first...but it soon became clear. Although I do think the book could have finished at the end of the final chapter without the second Epilogue. I thought that would have been an appropriate way to end it...but it was still a satisfying end regardless. The pace is steady and the book very easy to read.
BEYOND THIS BROKEN SKY is exciting and addictive from start to finish and I didn't want to put it down. It is a most unique WW2 story I have ever read and incredibly well written. I loved every minute of it and didn't want it to end.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book...particularly for fans of WW2 fiction and dual timeline stories.
I would like to thank #SiobhanCurham, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #BeyondThisBrokenSky in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Siobhan has been a guest on various radio and TV shows, including Woman’s Hour, BBC News, GMTV and BBC Breakfast. And she has spoken at businesses, schools, universities and literary festivals around the world, including the BBC, Hay Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Bath Festival, Ilkley Festival, London Book Fair and Sharjah Reading Festival.
Social Media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment