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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Some things are never meant to be revealed.
“It seemed like a dream. The world had exploded ...”
Summer’s ending. Evie’s stepfather is finally home from the Second World War, and Evie is tired of her glamorous mother treating her like a little girl.
Then a mysterious stranger appears: a handsome ex-GI who served with Evie’s stepfather. Slowly, Evie realises that she is falling in love with him – but he has dark secrets, and a strange control over her parents.
When a sudden tragedy occurs, Evie’s world is shattered. Torn between her family and the man she loves, Evie must betray someone. The question is ... who?
It’s 1947 and 15-year-old Evie lives with her glamorous mother, step-father Joe and grandmother in Queens. When an old war buddy calls the house looking for Joe, he decides to take Evie and her mother for a holiday in Palm Beach, Florida where they meet New York hoteliers, the Graysons and Peter Callaghan, a former private in Joe’s army unit.
Tired of being treated as a child, Evie is drawn to the handsome Peter and despite her mother’s insistence on chaperoning her, takes every opportunity available to spend time with him. However even as Evie finds herself falling in love, she notices the strange hold that Peter seems to have over her parents and more disturbingly how the war has not changed the way in which Jews are treated. When a tragedy strikes, Evie is forced to decide between betraying her family or betraying Peter and in the process, grow up faster than she ever thought possible.
Written in a noir style, Blundell succeeds in recreating the feel of post-War America through the authentic feel of Evie’s first person voice although the references to the cinema of the time feels a little forced. Strangely, Evie’s love of noir cinema (citing Mildred Pierce amongst others) makes it difficult to believe that she’s so slow in realising the truth of what is going on around her, particularly when it’s so obvious early on. More successful is the way in which she slowly comes to realise the anti-Semitism that is rife in post-War America – a scene involving the expulsion of the Graysons from their hotel is particularly effective. The book really comes alive though in its final third and the tension of the courtroom scenes really serves to heighten Evie’s dilemma and makes her final choice all the more poignant.
Joe’s back story is well told and it’s interesting to see a non-traditional take on the actions of the US during World War II. Evie’s mother is an interesting character – held back by her good looks and glamorous personality and desperate to ensure that Evie doesn’t repeat her mistakes and Evie’s frustration at this really comes through.
All-in-all it’s a satisfying read with a sophisticated plot and definitely worth a look.
The Verdict:
A complex story with a good sense of period, I didn’t quite buy into Evie’s naiveté but it’s still worth a read.
“It seemed like a dream. The world had exploded ...”
Summer’s ending. Evie’s stepfather is finally home from the Second World War, and Evie is tired of her glamorous mother treating her like a little girl.
Then a mysterious stranger appears: a handsome ex-GI who served with Evie’s stepfather. Slowly, Evie realises that she is falling in love with him – but he has dark secrets, and a strange control over her parents.
When a sudden tragedy occurs, Evie’s world is shattered. Torn between her family and the man she loves, Evie must betray someone. The question is ... who?
It’s 1947 and 15-year-old Evie lives with her glamorous mother, step-father Joe and grandmother in Queens. When an old war buddy calls the house looking for Joe, he decides to take Evie and her mother for a holiday in Palm Beach, Florida where they meet New York hoteliers, the Graysons and Peter Callaghan, a former private in Joe’s army unit.
Tired of being treated as a child, Evie is drawn to the handsome Peter and despite her mother’s insistence on chaperoning her, takes every opportunity available to spend time with him. However even as Evie finds herself falling in love, she notices the strange hold that Peter seems to have over her parents and more disturbingly how the war has not changed the way in which Jews are treated. When a tragedy strikes, Evie is forced to decide between betraying her family or betraying Peter and in the process, grow up faster than she ever thought possible.
Written in a noir style, Blundell succeeds in recreating the feel of post-War America through the authentic feel of Evie’s first person voice although the references to the cinema of the time feels a little forced. Strangely, Evie’s love of noir cinema (citing Mildred Pierce amongst others) makes it difficult to believe that she’s so slow in realising the truth of what is going on around her, particularly when it’s so obvious early on. More successful is the way in which she slowly comes to realise the anti-Semitism that is rife in post-War America – a scene involving the expulsion of the Graysons from their hotel is particularly effective. The book really comes alive though in its final third and the tension of the courtroom scenes really serves to heighten Evie’s dilemma and makes her final choice all the more poignant.
Joe’s back story is well told and it’s interesting to see a non-traditional take on the actions of the US during World War II. Evie’s mother is an interesting character – held back by her good looks and glamorous personality and desperate to ensure that Evie doesn’t repeat her mistakes and Evie’s frustration at this really comes through.
All-in-all it’s a satisfying read with a sophisticated plot and definitely worth a look.
The Verdict:
A complex story with a good sense of period, I didn’t quite buy into Evie’s naiveté but it’s still worth a read.
