Tanya E Williams reveals her gentle, thoughtful, spiritual nature in her debut novel. Despite the difficult content of the novel—debilitating illness, war, loss, and death—the author shields and instructs the reader with her uplifting perspective.
Violet, the protagonist, has at first what seems a pure and
simple love relationship with her beau, John Smith. World War II soon changes
that.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Violet is deeply dismayed when John joins the military to go fight in the war. She can’t bear the thought of such a good man voluntarily murdering others, of him choosing to leave her behind in order to do so. In the course of the novel, she makes a mild transition to being able to appreciate the heroism behind his motives, realizing what a sacrifice it is for such a gentle soul. I at first wondered why the author did not expound more on Violet’s transition, but then I realized that it’s because there was only a subtle shift. Violet did not change her mind, she only expanded her perspective to be more understanding and accepting of what she couldn’t change. She never actually advocates that it was the ‘right’ course. She merely gains an appreciation for the sacrifices he’s making for the sake of the others being brutalized, who really did need help. It’s actually all quite lovely and true. In the end, I still think of it as a sweet love story, though there is a certain sadness throughout and especially to the ending—sad yet strangely uplifting. As uplifting and gentle as such an ending can be.
No comments:
Post a Comment