Letters Across the Sea

I received a free electronic ARC of this historical novel from Netgalley, Genevieve Graham, and Simon & Schuster Canada. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Letters Across the Sea of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am happy to add Genevieve Graham to the authors I follow. She brings us an intense, personal look into life in Toronto beginning in 1933, both before and during WWII, and makes us aware of the sorrow and sacrifice experienced by neighbors and friends during that telling time. I had heretofore heard nothing about the Canadian troops captured in Hong Kong. We in New Mexico had many prisoners in the Bataan Death March, so we can sympathize. I find it such a relief to know our pain and loss are acknowledged by those outside the problem. I hope this exposure will aid in easing the pain of those soldiers and their loved ones, those who paid such a high price for all of our freedom

Haunting Story of Toronto From Depression Through WWII This is a well-researched piece of historical fiction. It covers, or touches on; living through The Great Depression, the anti-semitism of the age, slanted journalism, and the Canadian troops sent to Hong Kong who became Japanese prisoners of war. The author does a fantastic job of weaving the story of two families through all of this. It is not a dark story but does tell some hard truths. This is an incredibly important story to tell. As The Greatest Generation passes on, it is up to us to tell and remember their stories. This book does a fine job of that. I will definitely be reading more of this author's work! I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

NOTE: I received early access to LETTERS ACROSS THE SEA through netgalley in exchange for writing an impartial review. Thank you Simon Schuster. Scheduled publication date: April 27, 2021. This World War II historical novel starts off as so-so but becomes riveting by the end. The story begins in 1933, (as Hitler is coming to power in Germany) with a little known riot in Toronto during the depths of the Depression. Canadians are struggling to find jobs and sufficient food and their desperation is fueling anti-semitism. Against this backdrop is the story of a friendship between two families -- one Irish, one Jewish -- and a doomed Romeo-and-Juliet-type romance that is budding between Molly Ryan and her best friend's brother, Max Dreyfus. This first third of the novel struck me as more predictable, even bordering at times on stereotyping and the trite. But when the novel then jumps to 1939, and begins to follow the unfolding war, it becomes a much more compelling story of how war impacts families, loyalties, and individual soldiers themselves. By this time, Molly is working hard to establish her journalism career in a male-dominated newsroom while her brothers and Max are among the millions of young men fighting overseas. The details of what these soldiers witnessed, what they suffered, and what they were forced to do is graphic, dramatic and not for the faint of heart. In fact, as someone who has read many novels about World War II, this one is among the most powerful in its descriptions of battle and prison-of-war experiences. As the author explains in the book's Afterword, Genevieve Graham began the novel aiming to tell a story about the Toronto Christie Pits Riot of 1933. But, during her research, decided to extend that story to World War II. The connection between the two seemed a bit clunky to me. But not so much that it kept this from being an interesting read. By the end, I didn't want to put the book down, even though I sometimes did because I needed a break from the horror of it. Well worth your investment of time.