A twentieth century tale

Although I know I stated previously that I don't read much historical fiction, I am seeing a change of pattern. In fact, I can now confidently say that I do enjoy historical fiction, very much indeed. but Frances Liardet's We Must Be Brave is quite a different breed from my previous post, both in terms of period, topic, approach and style.

A word on the proof cover: I don't know if this will be kept for the hardback when it comes out in February next year, but kudos to the cover designer. Who, by the way, seems to be impossible to identify. Is this the case for most books? Should this change? Surely cover designers should be included in the proofs and finished books?

We Must Be Brave tells the story of Ellen Parr, a young wife who, during the bombing of Southampton in 1940, finds a little girl sleeping at the back of an empty bus. Unable to track down her parents, she takes little Pamela in - if only temporarily, until her real family shows up. Meanwhile, we learn about her past and marry it up with the present; and trace almost the entirety of the 20th century throughout the book, in the first half interchanging between present and past, and in the second half taking bigger jumps forward.

What did I like about it?

Liardet has a writing style that is extremely comfortable to read. I say comfortable because I never lingered; her sentences flow into one another, and there are no pauses or roadblocks. I wouldn't say her style is outstanding, but is very easy and well-structured - and therefore enjoyable.

Oddly enough, I enjoyed the sections about Ellen's past the most, as opposed to the main storyline. Hers is a fascinating story, going from luxury to extreme poverty and describing how a young girl adapts to these changing circumstances, how she gets her first job, the things she appreciates in life. Young Ellen is an interesting character - as well as her best friend, Lucy, who I found to be a complex personality with the most interesting sides to it, both in past and present sections.

In addition, Liardet's attention to detail really helps make this a believable piece of historical fiction (if not the war period itself, more the post-war times). She takes care to include everything from typical habits and hobbies to meals that would be cooked and household objects to be had: Ellen having to borrow black shoes for her first interview (and stockings); bread tins to bake loaves which would 'kiss' in the oven without them; dolls made out of pegs. It's all these little things that help construct a beautiful picture.

What was I not massively fond of?

I have to admit that in the multitude of characters that appear on the scene (often with more than one name to them) I had a bit of trouble remembering who's a friend, who's a foe and who's a dog. I often had to go back to double-check.

The character of Pamela - the little girl found on the bus - just did not work for me, both in terms of character and her relationship with Ellen. It might be that she's a typical eight-year-old, but because she seemed to show no reciprocity for Ellen's immense love, it was hard to believe that she would be the thing that crippled Ellen's soul for the rest of her life.

Which brings me to my third point: the aim of the story. I think Liardet juggles too many ideas at once in this book. All good ideas, mind you, but because she didn't give any of these enough spotlight, I think they overpower each other. There's the Ellen-Pamela relationship; there's the Ellen-Selwyn relationship (her husband) into which we hardly get any true insight; there's Ellen's character by itself, which turns sour in the second half of the book, although this isn't truly explained nor justified in my opinion. Then there's the fairly unnecessary Ellen-Mr Kennett relationship. His character felt like he'd just walked out of a Disney book, if I'm perfectly honest.

A point on the historical element: I think the war feels quite forced onto this book. It is there as a framework, but not much more, and it slowly drifts out of the picture without any true effect on the main characters or their lives. In the beginning, yes, there is bravery, and the effects are felt very strongly. It also affects the lives of some of the supporting characters. But as for the main storyline, I feel this could have been set in any period.

And a final thought: the last section on Ellen in 1974 could have been a tad shorter. Okay, perhaps quite a bit shorter.

Overall...

This is a good story and a good read - it's captivating and draws the reader in quite easily. However, I think the inconsistencies jumble the book up a bit, and what could have been a very touching, honest story instead turns into a platform for ambitious ideas.

None of the characters really resonated with me, and it left me asking too many questions. My main wonder is whether Pamela would really hold a grudge against Ellen, even as an adult, despite now understanding the circumstances under which she was finally taken away from the Parr household. I don't believe so - or if she would, then I should be right in not liking her, not one bit.

6/10