“Everyone Brave Is Forgiven” by Chris Cleave

Ten years ago my friend Page moved to London with her husband and three children. I was devastated. I was in the middle of a very complicated divorce, and Page was the most supportive new friend that I had made. I had just started to date again, moved into my first ever single girl apartment and was finally becoming the confident person I thought I was always meant to be. When she left she said we could stay in touch. But how, I wondered, by phone? The last good phone call I had was in 1982 with my high school boyfriend, and honestly he did most of the talking. I’m just not a phone person. Would we write? I am one of the world’s finest snail-mail correspondents (and do have several pen pals) but would Page write back? What about email? At the time she left in 2007 my dial up Internet was so slow that I could drink a full glass of white wine faster than I could connect to AOL. Then, something fabulous happened: The Internet got faster and better. Suddenly Page and I were emailing once a week, then twice a week, and then any old time we wanted. The point of this is to say that Page and I have not only stayed friends for 10 years, but I also am up to date on her job, her daily London walks and her reading. A few weeks ago she told me she was reading a book called “Everyone Brave Is Forgiven” by Chris Cleave. I had to read it, too. The historical fiction book takes place in London during World War II and follows the lives of three people: Mary, Tom and Alistair. Mary and Tom, both teachers, are far from the front line but right on top of it at the same time. While Alastair takes the more traditional road to war, he still is overwhelmed by obstacles. I have read many books about World War II but this one focuses on not only the effects of the war, but also the intimate relationships that were formed during a time surrounded by death, fear, hope and love. Well worth the read. Thank you, Page. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.