Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Although it won’t bring her beloved father back, twenty-three-year-old Wanda vows to honour his memory and all he stood for. Throwing herself into the Polish resistance, she risks her life on the dangerous mission of transporting ammunition for the underground network’s uprising against the Nazis.
Slipping through the night-time shadows of an empty park to meet an informant—one who could provide crucial supplies in the battle for what’s right—the sight of the man waiting turns Wanda’s blood to ice. Even in the dim light, she instantly recognises him as the soldier who killed her father.
The soldier claims he is a double agent, working for the resistance. Questioning everything, Wanda’s heart races as she is forced to make a split-second decision. Believe the man who she thought was the enemy? Or endanger the lives of her network—and their secret plans to fight the Germans?
Can Wanda trust the man she hates most in the world? Did her father die in vain? Or if she fights her every instinct, will she truly change the tide of the war?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Polish Girl to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Polish Girl by Gosia Nealon is the first book in The Secret Resistance series and what a great start it proved to be. The themes of revenge, secrets, trust and mistaken identity all occurring at a time of war were carefully explored with good pacing for the majority of the story. I thought this was a bit different from the usual World War Two historical fiction books in that the main character really gets deeply involved in things and given the initial premise and how she comes to meet the person she believes to have committed the worst fate to have befallen her family it’s unusual for a character to apparently venture over to the other side so to speak. It provided some alternative drama from the norm and I felt the characters were treading on eggshells throughout. The story as a whole was well written although I thought around the mid-way point things did become a bit too rushed when things seemed to be occurring with every turn of the page. A little more detail was necessary which would also allow the reader time to process everything that was unfolding but this issue resolved itself and on reflection perhaps it was necessary to allow the story to move beyond the conclusion of the war.
The story is split into three parts with the first introducing us to Wanda in 1944 and although there is a lot of information presented in the first few chapters it is all very relevant to the story and set things up well for what was to come. It was great to read a story set in Warsaw that wasn’t specifically focused on the ghetto as we got so see how the residents outside of that awful area lived and existed during the war years. Wanda lives in the city with her parents and does secret work for the resistance movement delivering books, pamphlets, ammunition etc all which must be kept hidden from the Germans. The rounding up of Jews and the so called undesirables is a daily occurrence and any member of the resistance that is discovered is included in that category. The whereabouts of her brother Mateusz remain unknown. Whether he is dead or alive thanks to his undercover work but Wanda clings to the hope that he is still out there somewhere. She has forged papers which says she works in a German sewing factory. Working for the Germans makes things easier for those that wish to carry out certain things unobserved. Yet, the constant fear of being caught hounds her on a daily basis and she give thanks for every night that she returns home safely.
Wanda is a clever, resourceful, determined and brave young woman who really does grow on you as she reveals more of herself. She has a great bond with her father, affectionately known as her Tata, who has always taught her to see other people’s struggles and not walk away. She constantly holds this advice close to her heart and she feels she is abiding by it by carrying out her resistance work even though she is in continual danger. When the Gestapo arrive at the family home seeking information regarding Mateusz, the worst happens when Tata is shot when he in fact was only protecting his family. Stefan Keller is the Gestapo member who wielded the gun and Wanda makes a promise to herself that revenge will be sought and she will not rest until she does so and this is where the twist in the tale starts to occur. Stefan is a sadist through and through whose primary aim was to track down and eliminate the Polish resistance and any Jews that he can find in hiding. There are no redeeming characteristics about him and he remains full of hatred and loathing throughout the book.
On the other side of the coin is his identical twin brother Finn, currently living in America and working for the Office of Strategic Services. From his first introduction Finn was the complete opposite to his brother, in terms of how he thought, his actions and his everyday stance and demeanour. Finn takes on a task that will lead him into dark territory and as he arrives in Warsaw he has a new persona so very different from his own. It really felt like he was walking into the lion’s den and I admired his bravery and tenacity in taking on the role. Although, I do think revealing things about who he was and it becoming known to a major character for me it all happened way too early in the book. I was desperate for a bit more guessing and conflict of emotions on behalf of Wanda. It all just came out in the open far too soon and there could have been a whole lot more tension and second guessing before the reveal came. Yes, it did help the romance and emotions to come forth and both Wanda and Finn wrestle with a whole heap of emotions and quandaries and battle with their conscience and how to deal with how society views each of them. Can Wanda trust the man she detests the most? Is she willing to give in to her feelings or will her duty and loyalty to the resistance movement and her fellow Poles win out? Does the heart rule over the head or vice versa?
As for Finn he deals with the same issues and sentiments and when lies, threats and double crossing come to the fore he too must decide on which side his loyalties lie on and whether he should follow what his heart is saying instead of what he perceives to be seeing. I loved Finn as a character. I felt there was this vulnerability about him given the situation he was in and the game he was playing, and I just wanted to give him a big hug and say that things would be ok. He pushed himself out of his comfort zone for the good of his country and to try and help in some small way to bring down the evil spreading throughout the world. I think he believed he could go to Poland, get the job done and return to America instead he found himself in a very tangled web which he became deeply stuck into and which would ultimately change the course of his life forever. For the positive or negative you’ll have to read this engaging book to discover the answer.
Gosia Nealon was a new author for me and she proved to be a very good writer with a great sense of time and place and the ability to get inside her characters heads and portray the terrors of war. The emotional turmoil they all go through and the individual conflicts they find themselves in were fascinating and intriguing. The story demonstrates how war is cruel and has no mercy on anyone but that love is strong and will do its utmost best to win no matter the obstacles put in its path. Book two in the series, The Polish Wife, is published at the end of March and I am interested to discover Anna’s story as from the glimpses we got of her throughout book number one it seems apparent to me that she has an awful lot to tell and has been through so much even more so than Wanda perhaps. All in all, this was a good read and enjoyable for its twists and turns but I get the feeling the series will really warm up and fully find its feet the more it develops.
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