What a poignant novel!
Can the horrors of war or any traumatic experience be glossed over to live a "normal" life?
Silvana, Aurek, and Janusz were told they were lucky. They lived through the horrors of WWII in Poland and were fortunate enough to find one another to live a "normal" life in a small English village. Each person tries to adjust to this new life, but it's a struggle, especially for Silvana and Janusz who have secrets, which might destroy the lives they are trying to rebuild. No matter how well Janusz speaks English or how beautiful their English garden might be, they can't truly escape from the horrors of their experiences and losses until they are honest with each other.
~Spoiler Alert~
Silvana's secret hit me hard. I don't know what it's like to lose a child in a war, but I know what it's like to experience that kind of loss. I suffered several miscarriages between my 1st and 2nd children, and during that time, I was a walking festering wound. Hurt by the sight of every baby or pregnant woman I saw. And I already had one child. I don't know what it would have been like to lose my only child then find a lost child wandering in the woods. Though that baby was in desperate need of care, I think Silvana was in even more serious condition. I'm not sure if she would have survived the war without another baby to keep her going. No wonder Silvana and Aurek were so attached to each other.
Though Tony's character didn't get as many pages dedicated to him as Janusz and Silvana, I saw him as an empathetic character. He also suffered a devastating loss, and he was trying, in his twisted way, to cope with it as well as he could. I think he knew Silvana wasn't Lucy, but he couldn't let an opportunity to have Lucy with him a little longer pass. Though it wasn't fair to Silvana, I could understand why Tony would do those things. He did try to stay away. To leave her alone and live her life with Janusz, but at the end, I think this was something all of them, Janusz, Silvana, and Tony, had to go through.
This book was very thought provoking for me and made me ask a lot of questions about what I'd do if I found myself in situations Janusz and Silvana found themselves during the war.
This book also made me ask - what struggles do soldiers who return from wars go through to adjust to the normalcy of an American life? What horrors are they trying to gloss over and quickly adjust, pretending with their families that everything is OK when it's not. And how long does it take to live a "normal" life, again?
Though this book is a little on the slow side, I enjoyed the pace and the unfolding of their lives. I would recommend this book.
