Setting
During the First World War or the Great War, England was at war with Germany. Across Britain, men joined the army to fight in the war and serve their country. Later conscription was introduced wherein single men between the age of 18-40 were liable to be called to serve in the army. In 1918 a global pandemic called Spanish Flu struck Britain resulting in a large number of fatalities.
Storyline
The books run in two timelines. First is in 1999, where Kate discovers the unfaithfulness of her partner David. She seeks refuge in her Great-Aunt Florrie's Victorian House. Her father also tasks her with the sorting of the house. While sorting, she comes across a closed door with no idea what is behind it. She starts digging into the life of her reclusive aunts.
The other timeline takes us back to the beginning of the First World War, in 1915. Florrie as a young girl lives with her parents and siblings- elder sister Edith and younger brother George. Edith's fiancée Frank was out fighting the war. Edith shuts herself away from the outside world, always writing to him, leaving young Florrie to lend a hand to their mother in the running of the household. Furthermore, Spanish flu struck rendering a two-fold blow to the populace. Florrie’s family doesn't remain untouched by the disease leaving the family devastated. Everyone responds to grief in their own way. Edith’s answer to her grief was shutting herself into an illusionary world where Frank was still alive.
My Thoughts
Another historical fiction with dual timelines though it appeared that I was reading two altogether different stories or as well different books. The link between the two is threadbare and barely there. The book is more about the toll the First World War took on the people, the cost each family had to pay rather than about the war itself. But only reading about the daily toil of Florrie’s family with a detailed description of their meals, bored me to tears. Florrie is a dutiful daughter who takes care of her family selflessly. Her self sacrificing and ungrudging attitude was beyond my comprehension. I found it too good to be true. During our current covid times reading about Spanish Flu would have been interesting. But even the spread of pandemic is not delved into in-depth. Overall, it was a disappointing read.
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