Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new historical fiction novel by Kristin Harmel - 5 stars!
Two mothers, two daughters. Elise and Juliette meet when they are both pregnant and become fast friends. Though their lives are very different - Elise and her husband and artists and Juliette and her husband own a small bookstore - Elise finds peace in the bookstore and their young daughters also become the best of friends. When Elise becomes a target of the German occupation, she does the only thing possible to save her daughter - she entrusts her to Juliette's care. When she is finally able to return a year later, she's devastated to learn that the bookstore was bombed and both their worlds were destroyed.
This book explored the horrible choices so many had to make in wartime and the consequences of those choices. It also explores friendship, loss, grief and the many different ways people process those feelings. This certainly takes place in wartime but it's less a war novel than it is an exploration of motherhood, sacrifice, mother/daughter relationships. I also loved how books and art played such an important part of this story and showed how both have healing powers. It's also a cautionary tale about how grief can ruin lives, yet it's such a hopeful book as well. This book was again wonderfully researched by Harmel and felt so real - be sure to read the author's note at the end. Fabulous read - highly recommended!
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