The Nightingale

As this book tells us many times, we are used to hearing stories about men in wartime – brave and gallant men fighting for their country, saving lives, sacrificing themselves. But this book is not about them. It's about the other half of society that are affected by war too – wives, daughters, sisters, friends. Here we get to know the story of two sisters and the parts they play during the war.

Vianne is the older rule following sister who wants to survive and keep her daughter from starving; Isabelle is the younger passionate impulsive sister who wants to fight for her country. Life becomes tougher when Nazis occupy their town and an officer requisitions their home. Vianne does her best to be on good terms, keep her head down and food on the table but circumstances force her to take risks. Isabelle runs off to Paris and joins the Resistance, helping downed airmen to crossover from France to Spain.

This book has all the elements of a war story – bombings, torture, killing squads, hunger, starvation, concentration camps but also love, loss, hope, survival, resistance and ultimately sisterhood. Isabelle seemed so irritating as a character in the beginning but there is excellent growth in her as she comes into her own as a savior. Vianne tries to do everything right but can't escape the brutality of war, her story is really heartbreaking. Both women resist the war in their own way – saving airman, hiding kids, surviving, but still keeping love alive in their hearts. When we read about an older Vianne at the end of the book, remembering the horrors she has tried to forget and reconciling with the memories of their survival, it is both poignant and beautiful. It made me teary eyed but it also made me realize that we all have some kind of inner strength that will let us survive anything, all we need is the will and hope.