Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave – 432 pages
ARC from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster
Book Blurb:
It’s 1939 and Mary, a young socialite, is determined to shock her blueblood political family by volunteering for the war effort. She is assigned as a teacher to children who were evacuated from London and have been rejected by the countryside because they are infirm, mentally disabled, or—like Mary’s favorite student, Zachary—have colored skin.
Tom, an education administrator, is distraught when his best friend, Alastair, enlists. Alastair, an art restorer, has always seemed far removed from the violent life to which he has now condemned himself. But Tom finds distraction in Mary, first as her employer and then as their relationship quickly develops in the emotionally charged times. When Mary meets Alastair, the three are drawn into a tragic love triangle and—while war escalates and bombs begin falling around them—further into a new world unlike any they’ve ever known.
My Review: 3.5 stars
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Chris Cleave had enchanted me with Little Bee and then again with Gold, so I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of Everyone Brave is Forgiven. I was excited to see him take on WW2, however the story was far too familiar.
A love triangle and the virtue (or not) of those going to war was the gist of the book. The characters didn’t come alive for me, so it was hard to genuinely care for their outcomes. What kept me reading was his beautiful prose.
I commend Cleave for bringing race into the picture, as I was unaware of its presence during this time period. Also, bringing to light the importance of continuing education during the war was good to see, no matter the teacher.
Oddly enough, Mary (the well to do protagonist) and Zachary (the colored orphan) had the most unique and introspective relationship.
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