Reviewed by Emma Crowley
France 1944: Frankie opens her eyes and winces. The daylight coming through the shutters is acid bright but that’s not what is causing her pain. As she tries to speak through burned and blistered lips, she realises there is only darkness where her memories should be. She is fed sips of water by a kindly old French man, Antoine, who tells her that his grandson found her lying next to her burning plane, crying out for a man called Michael. A man she cannot remember.
The Nazis stalk the streets outside the little French farmhouse where Frankie is hidden, and she knows that she is putting Antoine and his grandson’s life in terrible danger. But to leave she needs to remember who she is, and why she feels so afraid when she tries to recall the man she cried out for. As she lies in lavender-scented sheets, flashes of memory begin to come back. A forest deep in rural France, the smell of fear and pine trees and a face she loves marked with terror. Frankie is sure she came to rescue Michael, and she’s determined to complete her mission. But can she find him before the soldiers find her?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Forgotten Hours to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Her Forgotten Hours, the latest book from Lily Graham, begins with a passionate and intense opening as a young boy has snuck out of his home in occupied France to look at the stars as astronomy is his passion. Suddenly he sees something come hurtling to the ground in the field before him and being a good young boy with a conscience he rushes to see what has happened. An English pilot has crashed and is seriously injured due to the flames engulfing the plane. Theo does his best and rescues the pilot as they float in and out of consciousness muttering Michael, Michael. Theo takes the pilot to his grandfather Antoine, who was the local vet in the village, and he does his utmost to take care of the pilots injuries. But it soon becomes apparent that all is not as it seems as its fairly evident that the pilot is in fact a woman and not a man as at first presumed. Who was she and how did she come to be in a plane flying over France? She can’t tell Antoine as her memories have been taken from her which I thought slotted in perfectly with the title.
After this intriguing and impactful opening which raised so many questions the plot moves back and forth between the present day in rural France in 1944 and back to the early 1930’s and then forward in time the author takes the reader on an incredible journey of bravery, humanity, courage and steadfastness as we learn more about said pilot - Francesca (Frankie). The storyline effortlessly moved between the two timelines and it soon became apparent that this book wouldn’t focus solely on the attempted rescue of Frankie in enemy territory more so that it centred around how she came to be in the situation that she found herself in right from the origins of her learning to fly. I loved this because it felt as if the book was different from the hundreds of WW2 books that I have read. Rather than facts, figures and events being presented there was a human and compassionate side where people’s feelings were really taken into account and there was a real human and intelligent story behind the drama that was interspersed throughout.
From the outset it was evident that Frankie was a real go getter who went against the social conventions that constrained women at the time. Raised on a farm in the English countryside with her sister Emily and her parents, her father Bill presents her with a plane that needs doing up. Bill himself had flown in WW1 but an injury to his hand means his calling to be up in the sky can no longer be fulfilled. Alongside Michael, the son of Bill’s best friend who was shot down during the war, Frankie works to restore the plane. Her love of planes and flying comes to the fore as its like an extension of her. Despite her mother’s protestations she takes to the skies and she is never more happier than when she is performing tricks and flying above the landscape. Her mother is certainly not pleased and this leads to an event that will shape her life forever. But Frankie is one determined and persistent young girl and these characteristics will stay with her through the most challenging and darkest of times.
The connection/friendship that Frankie has with Michael is tested time and time again as the years pass by and with another war looming on the horizon it will be challenged even further as they navigate very different paths. The gift of a copy of Jane Eyre given to Frankie from Michael has special symbolism and meaning throughout the book which I felt was wonderfully done and appeared throughout at just the right moments. Frankie is not someone who likes to be constrained and bound by rules and regulations. She is a free spirit who likes nothing more than escaping from the struggles she faces academically by taking to the skies. She detests when her wings are curtailed and she strongly feels that Michael played a pivotal role in this which changes her opinion of him. But does it really? With the outbreak of war, Michael, himself an expert flier although more cautious than Frankie, signs up to the R.A.F. Here is where Frankie’s jealously comes to the fore. She is the one that should be doing her bit to help her country wage war against those that are determined to change the structure of Europe and the wider world. Again, the social rules surrounding women and their place outside of the home come to the fore and just like Frankie I found this exasperating. Yet, it just goes to show how far women have come in a relatively short space of time considering all we can do and partake in daily.
Frankie is fiery, dogged and resolute and she will not give up until she can play her part in the war effort. I loved how she strove against conventions and always kept alert for an opportunity to step into a male dominated world. She wanted to show that she was an expert flier that could do wonderful things that would benefit so many others. The history of the A.T.A - Air Transport Auxiliary - was examined and I found this fascinating especially when it was opened up to women. Here is where strong connections began to appear between the Frankie I had become familiar with and the Frankie lying injured in France. Becoming a member of the A.T.A and ferrying planes and cargo from one place to another made Frankie’s spirit come alive. She became someone that commanded respect and she proved that women could do anything and would do it well. The strand focusing on Michael became more apparent too and at times it was tantalising and teasing as scenes played out during the war. I thought Frankie was realising things or else letting the reader further into her heart and mind and the glimpses we got revealed some surprising things. How it would all work out given the various conundrums had me rapidly turning the paged eager to find out.
The book really took on a life of its own throughout the last quarter or so. I thought the action and tension were brilliant and I was guessing at how the story would come full circle and connect back to the very beginning. The chapters which had been set in France with Antoine throughout the book had revealed a lot, the detail of which I will not delve into but I enjoyed reading this and I felt these sections were as strong as the sections detailing Frankie’s life story. As previously mentioned everything gelled together very well. I didn’t feel like I was reading two separate stories as can often be the case with books of this nature. Things were beginning to make sense although the literally very ending felt ever so slightly rushed. Another chapter or a brief epilogue would have been great even if things had reached a certain resolution.
All in all Her Forgotten Hours was a very good and enjoyable read. There was plenty of action, mystery and adventure all mixed in with some romance against the backdrop of the war. The characters are well rounded and well developed and there is a great plot which all make for a gripping read that the reader quickly becomes deeply invested in.
No comments:
Post a Comment