The Warsaw Diary Keeper by Avi Dobzinski

Oct20

Four Ordinary Heroes

The Warsaw Diary Keeper by Avi Dobzinski is a powerful historical novel that has been constructed around the author’s wife’s aunt’s wartime diaries.

This is a heartbreaking book about the effects of war on a Jewish family of four, living in Poland.

In order to survive the family had to adapt and reinvent themselves as Roman Catholics. “You will have to learn to walk through the world as someone else” was the message given to the two girls aged just twelve and seven. This cannot have been easy – but the family of four realised that their lives were at stake. First Poland was invaded by the Soviets and then the Germans.

Everyone from the very youngest daughter wanted to help the war effort. Though only young, the youngest daughter delivered underground newspapers. She was very brave.

Hitler’s policy to eradicate the Jewish people soon spread throughout Poland. “Neighbours who had been polite in shops… had turned into monsters overnight.” Nowhere was totally safe for the family, who travelled to various places within Poland, trying to stay alive. This is their war. We see events through their eyes. We witness the bravery of them all, even the very young. We cannot imagine the fear the parents had for the safety of their girls.

War is not glamourous. There are heroes and there are villains. This is a book about a family of heroes – They moved. They adapted. They survived.

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The Twenty Dates by Ko Porteous

Oct18

Believe In Me

The Twenty Dates by Ko Porteous is a positively charming contemporary novel that I adored. It is the second book in the Empty Nesters series but can be read as a stand-alone.

As their twentieth anniversary is in full swing, something snaps and a couple wonder if their marriage is over. She has given up work. He is immersed in his. Their son has just left for uni. “How have they forgotten to nurture the very most important aspect of their relationship: them?” As their nest is empty, they wonder if their marriage is too? They decide to have twenty dates, one for each year they are married, and hope it’s enough to save their marriage.

Somewhere along the way, the couple had lost sight of each other and their needs. “Maybe we both stopped trying.” The couple want to re-connect.

The reader immerses themselves in the twenty dates – some are more energetic than others. As the couple tries new things, they hope to inject a sense of adventure back into their lives.

Both parties are likable and believable. They are still in love but allowed life to come between them. We learn that “this is how he shows his love: acts of service.” But sometimes she needs words to accompany the actions.

Both characters are believably flawed adults who are easy to like. Both have experienced childhood traumas. “Deep inside, he’s still the eight-year-old boy who was abandoned by his mum all those years ago.” When the person who is supposed to love you best, abandons you, it is natural to expect others to abandon you too.

The lead female character lost her father on her tenth birthday. She blames herself. “What happened… are not your fault… We’re not blaming you or punishing you… You need to show the same compassion to yourself.” Her thinking is flawed but her grief is still raw. There has not been closure. And she has placed her Dad on a pedestal. “I never quite believed someone could love me as much as Dad did. That no man could ever be as reliable as he was.” She has idealised her dad.

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Dreadnought by Robin Bennett

Oct16

Many Layers Within

Dreadnought by Robin Bennett is a gripping novel set in the near future but with its’ roots firmly in the past.

The world is on the brink of World War III as a family move from London to the North Yorkshire coast, near Whitby, as they stay in the family home on Dreadnought.

Here, the veil between the past and present draws thin. Seven-year-old Cass is in touch with those whom the adults cannot see. The whole area has a dark and brooding presence. Three generations of the family inhabit Dreadnought.

Dreadnought seems to be a place of secrets. Ancient voices from the past, call out as the fog rolls in.

Cass is amazingly brave. She faces her fears in order to free her friend.

There are elements of the Gothic horror tradition found within the novel – strange creatures lurking in dark corners; sea mists; caves; and of course, the folk lore of Dracula surrounding Whitby Abbey.

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Mist In The Willows by Lucy Linne

Oct13

Battles In The Darkness

Mist In The Willows by Lucy Linne is a contemporary Gothic horror novel that grabbed my attention from the start. It is the first book in The Spirit Fleet Chronicles which promises to be entertaining.

I do not normally venture into the horror genre but this is ‘gentle’ horror which was both exciting and entertaining. There are all the elements of a traditional Gothic horror tale – with darkness, swirling mists, unexplainable happenings. The reader witnesses that life can be a battle between good and evil, as the powers of darkness try to pull an innocent down.

‘Just doing her job’ is a phrase that has haunted former army captain Jade, along with recent past events that she has tried to block out but keep resurfacing in her dreams. PTSD has seen her tossed aside by the army after loyally serving them. She is now sofa-surfing on her Grandad’s houseboat.

The images from her recent past pursue her. The faster she runs, the more her pursuers amass. She wonders if it is all in her imagination until her dog growls at the darkness, and Jade realises that evil is afoot.

Lucy Linne has constructed a tale that pulls the reader into the action from the start. We invest our emotions into the character of Jade who is extremely likable.

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