I have mixed feelings about this month's book. Not that I didn't enjoy reading it, but I had a hard time decided where to land with it once I knew how it ended. Also, as a disclaimer, I had to quit reading another series that I was really enjoying in order to read "Verity" before my book club met. I think my experience was tainted by the fact that I really wanted to be reading something else.
The book is another (one of the many) WW2 books out there, I have read numerous WW2 books, and this one did a great job being fresh. It's split into two different voices, the narrative is shared by two friends and while that sounds fairly straight forward it becomes complicated as the book goes on. There is mild language in the book, nothing that I was put off by, and some violence (well come on it's WW2, it was a violent time).
The interesting thing about the story is that it kind of starts at the end and tells itself backward to a point. At the beginning you meet a girl (whose name you actually don't find out for quite some time) who has been taken prisoner by a Nazi commander in France. She has been broken and what you are reading is the confession she's writing out for the Nazi Commander. Her self loathing is evident, however, she maintains a level of sarcasm toward the Nazi's that I appreciate. I was immediately faced with making a character judgment. How do I feel about a character that gives it up? The first thing I knew about her was that she tells them everything. It puts you in an uncomfortable place right off. The other girl is a pilot and I enjoyed a little bit of the women's rights issue during the war. It truly takes you through part of WW2 with a different perspective.
The story itself was a little choppy and there were times I had some trouble keeping all of the information straight and sifting through what was relevant and what wasn't. There are also themes and events that seem convoluted but make more sense once you know the bigger picture. Sorry I know I'm also being choppy but it's keeping in line with the book! No, really, the story is a bit of a mystery and I don't want to ruin it for you.
The second half of the story is told by the other friend and she takes you up to "present" time and then through the end of their story. I didn't love her voice, I actually connected with the first voice more but I think that was a personality thing. For me it was one of those books that you have to read all the way through before you know if you like it or not. It wasn't smooth or easy to read, but I may be prepared to say that the author did that on purpose. The ending is surprising and wraps up the book. If you're on Goodreads it will show as part of a series but the story is self contained which was nice.
You can buy it here : Code Name Verity
Give it a shot. I would love to hear any opinions on this one!
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