The Lines We Leave Behind by Eliza Graham

The Lines We Leave Behind by Eliza Graham – 308 pages

ARC from Lake Union for an honest review

Book Blurb:

England, 1947: A young woman finds herself under close observation in an insane asylum, charged with a violent crime she has no memory of committing. As she tries to make sense of her recent past, she recalls very little. But she still remembers wartime in Yugoslavia. There she and her lover risked everything to carry out dangerous work resisting the Germans—a heroic campaign in which many brave comrades were lost. After that, the trail disappears into confusion. How did she come to be trapped in a living nightmare?
As she struggles to piece together the missing years of her life, she will have to confront the harrowing experiences of her special-operations work and peacetime marriage. Only then can she hope to regain the vital memories that will uncover the truth: is she really a violent criminal…or was she betrayed?

My Review: 3.5 stars – Guest Review

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The Lines We Leave Behind was on my wish list as I enjoyed the author’s earlier book, The One I Was.  but there aren’t many that take place in Yugoslavia. On top of that, the story follows Maude/Amber as she tries to unravel how she ended up in an insane asylum following the end of the war. I didn’t know much about WWII in regards to the Balkans and you definitely get a different insight into the war from this particular story line. The plot was interesting – who wouldn’t be intrigued by a female special agent going on a covert mission for the Allies?

Although the book was slower than I liked, I did enjoy the writing style. Told through the alternating POVs of Amber during the war and Maude at the insane asylum, I liked that the present was told in first person and the past was told in third person. That being said, I never fully connected with the main character – neither when she was Amber or Maude. She didn’t have any characteristics that stood out to me or made me root for her as a protagonist.

I went back and forth on how to rate this book because it was an interesting quick read, but it lacked the depth I hoped it would. Review by Guest Fairy Carly.