Lead Review (Everyone Brave is Forgiven)

The author was inspired by his own family’s experiences during WW2, both in London and on Malta.

Mary is an 18 year old socialite, who is used to the servants quietly tending to household duties but when war is declared she determines to do her bit. She is engaged in a teaching capacity and rises the challenge of working with people who are deemed lesser mortals. She meets Tom and the attraction between them burgeons.

Tom’s friend Alistair decides he must enlist and gradually the horrors of war have to be faced by the characters as the tentacles of terror spread across Europe.

Chris Cleave is a wonderful storyteller, he portrays the fabric of society as it is ripped apart by terrible events, how the individuals must each find a way to cope with the stress of war.

This is a beautifully told story that doesn’t shy away from the reality of this terrible period, yet has a lightness of touch to keep the reader immersed. He writes with authority and care.