World War 2 Books - 4 Novels and 1 Biography

Check out the bestseller lists at any bookshop and there are always some set during World War 2. It's perhaps not surprising, after all, at a most basic level, the war is a great setting for an exciting story. But if you want to pick books that are actually worth reading, then you do need to be a little bit discerning. Books written during or shortly after the war, tend to paint a more nuanced picture and reflect more of what war actually meant for everyday people who had to spend their nights huddled in bomb shelters and shop for food with ration books.  Meanwhile, fiction novels written more recently, often have a tendency to paint hard times in a more rosy light, with some romantic notion of 'Blitz spirit' that is so prevalent in English culture. 

So, what's the answer? Well, choose purposefully and read widely around the theme. Look at fiction and non-fiction, books by men and by women, written at different stages, with different settings and different points of focus. 

Crooked Cross - Sally Carson - Published in 1934 - This fiction novel tells the story of the Kluger family in Bavaria as the Nazi Party rise to power in Germany. If you've ever wondered - how did that happen? Well, Carson's thoughtful and well-observed novel may give you some insights into a turbulent political time.

Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky - Written around 1940/1941 when the writer was living in France. The novel follows the story of the German occupation of France and whilst the cover might look like a romance novel, it's actually a compelling portrait of how communities and characters reacted in the face of such sudden and complete occupation. The author, part Jewish, was sent to Auschwitz in 1942 and died within 10 days of arrival from typhus. Many years later her daughters discovered these manuscripts and this incredible story was published. 

All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr- Set during World War II, this follows a blind French girl and a German orphan boy whose lives converge in the siege of St Malo. That was a thing, the story is a fiction. But it brings together themes of survival and the importance of human connection. It was a Pulitzer prize winner in 2015. 

The Narrow Road to The Deep North - Richard Flanagan - An extraordinary novel that tells of a group of Australian prisoners of war put to work on the Burma Railway. The writing is superb, the story compelling and I could not put this book down, as relentingly grim as it is. It was a Booker Prize winner in 2014. 

Nancy Wake A Biography  - Peter Fitzsimmons - Non-fiction telling of the extraordinary resistance work carried out by Nancy Wake when she lived in France during the war. It's fascinating stuff and makes you think about character and personality traits and bravery.