Book Review: The War Outside by Monica Hesse

Title: The War Outside

Author: Monica Hesse

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction

Pages: 336

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Year Published: 2018

Format: Hardcover (Library Copy)

First Line: "Of all the things that happened there, in that place full of enemies and dust and spies and sadness; of all the things Margot said to me- the calculations that sounded like friendship, the casual shattering of my life- out of all those things, I am grateful for only one: that I never loved her."

"It's 1944, and World War II is raging across Europe and the Pacific. The war seemed far way from Margot in Iowa and Haruko in Colorado-- until they were uprooted to dusty Texas,  all because of the places their parents once called home: Germany and Japan.

Haruko and Margot meet at the high school in Crystal City, a "family internment camp" for those accused of colluding with the enemy. The teens discover that they are polar opposites in so many ways, except for one that seems to override all the others: the camp is changing them, day by day, and piece by piece. Haruko finds herself consumed by fear for her soldier brother and distrust of her father, who she knows is keeping something from her. And Margot is doing everything she can to keep her family whole as her mother's health deteriorates and her rational, patriotic father becomes a man who distrusts America and fraternizes with Nazis.

With everything around them falling apart, Margot and Haruko find solace in their growing, secret friendship. But in a prison the government has deemed full of spies, can they trust anyone- even each other?"

My Rating: 3/5

I want to start off by saying my rating of this story does not reflect the importance of the subject matter. It's important that we remember our history to avoid repeating it. I haven't read much about the internment camps in America, and I haven't read anything about similar camps in Canada but I'm curious to know if anyone has more recommendations about this subject matter. 

Now that we have spoken about that, my rating does reflect my enjoyment and feelings about the fictional plot overall. While I thought that the author did a great amount of research, but the plot didn't do it for me. It was the ending that really cinched this rating for me, I wanted any amount of conflict resolution and it wasn't there. This is a similar way I felt when I read another of her works.

All in all, I plan on giving her work one more chance, but that might be it for me.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny