Review: The Light After the War

Title: The Light After the War

Author: Anita Abriel

Publisher: 1st February 2020 by Simon & Schuster (Australia)

Pages: 320 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, world war II

My Rating: 2.5 cups

Synopsis:

In the bestselling tradition of THE GIRL FROM MUNICH and THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, an extraordinary tale based on the true story of how the author’s mother survived World War II against all odds.

In 1946 two  young Hungarian refugees arrive in Naples determined to start a new life after losing everyone they loved before the war. Vera Frankel and her best friend, Edith Ban, are haunted by their terrifying escape from a train headed for Auschwitz after their mothers threw them from the carriage, promising they would follow. But instead the girls found themselves alone in a frozen, alien land. They managed to find refuge and barter for their lives by working on an isolated farm in Austria until the end of the war.

Armed with a letter of recommendation from an American general, Vera finds work and new hope at the United States Embassy and, despite her best intentions, falls in love the handsome and enigmatic Captain Anton Wight. But as Vera and Edith grapple with the aftermath of the war, so too does Anton, and when he suddenly disappears, Vera is forced to drastically change course. Their quest to overcome their terrible losses and rebuild their lives takes Vera and Edith from Naples to Ellis Island to Venezuela and finally Sydney as they begin to build careers, reunite with old friends – and find love.

Heartbreakingly moving and compelling, THE LIGHT AFTER THE WAR is inspired by the story of the author’s Holocaust survivor mother and her escape with her best friend from a train to Auschwitz.

My Thoughts

The Light After the War is a debut novel inspired by the author’s mother and her experiences in surviving the Holocaust with her friend after both jumping from a train headed for Auschwitz. It is a story about friendship, family, hope and survival. After surviving the war, the two friends arrive in Naples determined to start a new life after losing their families. It then traces their movements over time with flashbacks throughout from before and after the war. 

Sadly, I struggled with this book on a number of fronts. Firstly, the writing is very light, trite and superficial, not the kind of tone one would expect for a holcaust novel. Events are quite predictable and characterisation falls flat. Which leads to my second issue, I feel this should be categorised more as a young adult fiction as so much of the focus is on the love lives of these young girls - a harrowing war tale this is not - mostly their pursuit of love and marriage. Not a lot of time is spent on the girls journey to their initial destination of Naples - it would have been great to read more of their struggles in arriving there. At times, it all just seems a little too easy.  This, of course, lends the reader to little empathy as the girls seem so untouched by events and rather petulant.

“Why do we always have to think about money?” Edith said stubbornly. “We ’re young; we ’re supposed to have fun. I’m going to get a gelato.”

So, if a young adult war romance is what you are after then this surely delivers. Sadly the lack of depth in the narrative - story and characters, plot and predictability - does not assist the reader with any investment in the final outcome - which of course, will satisfy believers in fate and one true love. 

“We have had a good time,” Edith said gently.

“We made friends and I started a business and you’re going to have a baby.” 

..... “The killing was supposed to stop with the war, but it goes on forever.” 

“Death is everywhere, but so is life,” Edith said. “How many mornings did you make me get out of bed ... You taught me we have to give it our best try. We ’re young; we ’re going to lead happy lives.”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.