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

Book Review: Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Title: Girl in the Blue Coat
Author: Monica Hesse
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery
Pages: 310
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2016
Format: Audiobook

"Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person- a Jewish teenager Mrs Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.

Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and meticulously researched, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, gripping novel from a bright new voice."

My Rating: 4.5/5

Another audiobook that I zoomed through. I seem to be in the mood for historical fiction lately and I'm just going for it with my audiobook. I think this book includes a perspective that I haven't read before. The idea of mystery and resistance and taking a hard look at the small things that happen in a huge war and disaster. The changes in friendships and lives that took place during this time never fail to amaze and horrify me. I was just a little disappointed in the ending, and a few of the choices that Hanneke made.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny