Compelling read

• Book: The Girl You Left Behind
• Location: France, London
• Author: Jojo Moyes

Review Author: Janine

The Girl You Left Behind has a dual time-frame narrative; the first part is seen through the eyes of a woman in occupied France in 1916, the second through one living in modern day London.

The first part of the story is set in the occupied French village St Péronne at the height of the first World War. Jojo Moyes paints a solemn picture of the town with neighbour turning on neighbour as the slightest of suspicions. Sophie, our main character, witnesses the brutal impact German army have first hand. Her husband, the artist Edouard LeFèvre is fighting the Germans on the front and all she has is a portrait that he painted of her to cling on too.
The second part is set in London in 2006. Liv Halston was given this portrait by her husband as a wedding gift shortly before he died suddenly. We find out through the story what happened to Sophie and how the painting came to Liv.
Touching, moving, heart-breaking, a well written emotive novel.

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