Resistance (Amy)
Imagine that you go to bed one night and sleep late the next morning. Your country is embroiled in World War II and the rumors that German troops are drawing near are growing stronger every day.
Imagine that you wake up and your husband and all the other men of the village have disappeared without a word.
Imagine that Germany had successfully occupied England.
Imagine a German patrol shows up in your village and there is no one to protect you.
With World War II more than 5 decades in the past, it is hard to imagine that things could turn out any differently than they did. However, in a short section in the Afterword, author Owen Sheers tells us that for a period of time in 1940, the scenario imagined in the book Resistance was a possibility. For Sarah Lewis and her neighbors, Mary, Menna, and Maggie, it is reality.
Things do not unfold as expected though and the story is not predictable. Nazi officer Albrecht Wolfram is battle weary by the time he and his patrol reach the village in Wales. He has seen and done things that he would rather forget and he is not interested in tyrannizing the women. Instead, he is interested in peaceful coexistence. The question then becomes will outside forces allow this. We don’t get neat and tidy answers and must draw our own conclusions but the story itself is the treasure.
I found this book to be a captivating story and I was constantly caught between wondering which parts were fact and which parts were imagined. Fortunately, the author took the time to let us know at the end of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about WW II. (4/5)
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