The Invisible Bridge

 

The Invisible Bridge

by Julie Orringer

★★★★

 

This big yawning novel starts with a simple, young Jewish man named Andras. He’s an aspiring architect from Hungary, who moves to Paris to study. From there we meet Klara and the two begin a tumultuous affair. That covers a tiny splice of the beginning of the novel. After that it’s an exploration of Europe in the 1930s and ‘40s. We see the Germans rise to power, the change in attitude towards the Jewish community across the continent, the other people who are persecuted, etc. It reminded me in a lot of ways of Birdsong, another book that begins with a love story but quickly escalates into an exploration of war and its dehumanizing effect.

 

Andras and Klara’s romance is certainly central to the whole book, but life gets in the way of their little world. Their troubles and Klara’s past seem so unimportant in the larger scheme of things. As signs of war start building all around them, their options begin to disappear. They realize that whatever happens, if they can stay together they will be alright. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible when your country is at war.

 

It really feels like two very different books. One tells the story of an ambitious man who falls in love with an older woman. The other is about a Jewish man trying to survive the horrors of World War II in Budapest. Both books are beautiful, but by the end of the novel it’s hard to even recognize the characters you met at the beginning. I suppose that realistically that’s exactly what war does to people. It strips away the things that make them who they are and turns them into something harder. This book shows that transformation in heartbreaking way.

 

BOTTOM LINE: At times I felt like I couldn’t see the trees for the forest. The writing is beautiful, the story is powerful, but there’s just so much there that it’s easy to get a bit lost. I still loved reading it and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves WWII stories.

 

“Her starfish pin glittered like a beautiful mistake, a festive scrap torn from an ocean-liner ball, blown across the sea and caught by chance in the dark waves of her hair.”

 

“The scent of it blew through the channel of the Seine like the perfume of a girl on the threshold of a party. Her foot in its satin shoe had not yet crossed the sill, but everyone knew she was there. In another moment she would enter. All of Paris seemed to hold its breath, waiting.”

 

“I wouldn’t trade your complication for anyone else’s simplicity.”

 

“Strange that war could lead you involuntarily to forgive a person who didn’t deserve forgiveness, just as it might make you kill a man you didn’t hate.”

 

The Secret Keeper

The Secret Keeper

by Kate Morton

★★★★☆

Kate Morton has earned a reputation as an expert gothic mystery writer. If you pick up one of her fat novels you know what you’re in for. So far I have loved each of her novels, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours and The House at Riverton, but I thought Morton might disappoint me this time. I made it about ¾ of the way through this novel and still didn’t know if I liked it. Needless to say I judged it too soon, I shouldn’t have doubted her.

A famous actress, Laurel, returns home to visit her ailing mother, Dorothy. As she reconnects with her sisters and explores her childhood home she can’t help but reminisce about some strange details from her childhood, particularly a violent event that happened when she was a teen. She begins to learn more about her parents’ history as she researches their lives during World War II.

The book switches between multiple points of view, Laurel, Dorothy, Dorothy’s boyfriend Jimmy and her friend Vivien. I loved this aspect of the book because it gives the reader a chance to get to know each character and to question the honesty of the narrative. I really loved the pieces of the story set during WWII. Though the middle was a bit slow for me the end was well worth the wait.

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re a fan of Morton’s novels you can’t miss this one! If you’re new to her work I would check out The Forgotten Garden, my personal favorite. She’s a sure bet for anyone who loves a great gothic mystery.  

I read this for the R.I.P. Challenge hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings.

Unbroken

Unbroken

A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

by Laura Hillenbrand

★★★★

This WWII survival tale is not an entertaining book. It’s not one that you read for a laugh or to pass the time on a rainy afternoon. It is intense and difficult to read, because it’s horrible to think of anyone going through these things. BUT, and that’s a big but, I think it’s important to read books like this. If we ignore the painful parts of our world’s history, we are doing a huge disservice to all of the people who lived during that time and whose actions created the world we live in today. 

“If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” Michael Crichton

Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete and lieutenant in the Army Air Forces was in a bomber plane when it crashed into the ocean in May 1943. After more than a month a sea, facing unbelievable trials, he realizes he troubles have only begun. 

SPOILERS

It was alarming to learn how little soldiers had in their emergency kits in the rafts if their planes crashed. They had almost no practical items and I can’t believe Louis managed to survive at sea for more than a month. 

After surviving sharks, starvation and dehydration, Louis and his fellow raft mate are finally picked up by the Japanese only to be imprisoned as prisoners of war. The conditions of the prisons were horrendous and they were once again near death because of sickness and starvation. 

The book also details the Rape of Nanking, one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever read about in the history of the world. It made me absolutely sick. There was also a Japanese prison guards, known as The Bird, whose sadistic, evil nature was shocking and really heartbreaking. It’s unbelievable what the prisoners went through. 

I kept thinking about the families of the men who were lost at sea. I can’t imagine what they were going through, not knowing if their sons/husbands/fathers were alive or dead. They couldn’t grieve for their loss, because that would be giving up hope. It must have been a kind of torture of its own. 

 

One aspect I was very glad the author discussed was Louis’ struggles after he returned home. The story doesn't just end because they make it out of the war. I can’t imagine anyone making it through something so awful and not developing some type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Those men would undoubtedly struggle with those demons for the rest of their lives. 

SPOILERS OVER

The different forms of torture and sickness described are pretty graphic. I can’t say I’d recommend it if you have a weak stomach. But, I also want to say that this isn’t gratuitous violence, it’s what actually happened to these men. If they could go through these appalling things to fight for our country, I think I can handle reading about it. There are dry parts in the book, but the journalist in me wants the whole story. Even if there are boring bits, I want to know who they are as a person so I can become invested in the story. 

Louis’ story, and that of the other men, is a testament to what humans can endure, the strength that hope can give us and the atrocities of war. War is not an abstract idea, it’s real and it’s horrifying and we should never forget that. 

SIDE NOTE: If you guys aren't already watching John and Hank Green's Crash Course videos you should be! The YA author and his hilarious brother are walking us through the history of the world and Science 101. The videos can be found here. 

Images of Louis Zamperini from here and here.