Strangers in Time, David Baldacci
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Calamity of Souls comes David Baldacci’s newest novel, set in London in 1944, about a bereaved book shop owner and two teenagers scarred by the second world war, and the healing and hope they find in one another.
Synopsis
Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, ducking school but barred from actual work, he steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he’s old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there’s no telling when a falling bomb might end his life.
Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of people to have been evacuated to the countryside via “Operation Pied Piper,” Molly has been away from her parents—from her home—for nearly five years. Her return, however, is not the homecoming she’d hoped for as she’s confronted by a devastating reality: both her parents are gone.
Without guardians and stability, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his book shop, The Book Keep, where A book a day keeps the bombs away. Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ignatius forms a kinship with both children, and in each other—over the course of the greatest armed conflict the world had ever seen—they rediscover the spirit of family each has lost.
But Charlie’s escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone’s been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is still reeling from a secret Imogen long kept from him while she was alive—something so shocking it resulted in her death, and his life being turned upside down.
As bombs continue to bear down on the city, Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius learn that while the perils of war rage on, their coming together and trusting one another may be the only way for them to survive.
Richard says…
Baldacci leaves his comfort zone, writing about murder, crime and violence, and dives into the world of historical fiction, drama. The genre is also labelled as romance by some.
In any case, ‘Strangers in Time’ is a whale of a tale, an very entertaining and engaging narrative based in London, England in the last year or so of WWII. The three primary characters of the story are the adult Ignatius Oliver, owner of a book shop, and two barely teen teenagers, Molly, a poor little rich girl of 15 and Charlie, a 14 year old street urchin akin to Oliver Twist of Diskens’ fame.
The story is a wonderful jigsaw puzzle of turns and twists that are more engaging and develop the story each time than create suspense and tension. Molly is the prime persona of the story. A serious minded young girl who is older than her chronological age as she demonstrates in her surprising analyses and evaluations of people, situations and events. Surprisingly, she befriends Charlie, a young teen who lives in poverty with an aging grandmother.
The story revolves around the two teens and their lives in the final years of WWII. The plot has one guessing much of the time with guesses that usually have surprise twists like is Ignatius Oliver a German spy; is Molly’s father really a murderer; can Charlie survive on his own once granma passes away? Interesting questions with interesting and entertaining answers.
Baldacci has left his normal writing theme and does so with amazing and very satisfying results. History bluffs will enjoy his descriptions about the bombing of London. His dialogue writing is superb with idioms, jargon and the verbal exchanges between the two teens of the era. The historical material is accurate and revelant to the times. Baldacci captures the mood with accuracy and an authentic replication of how it must have felt living through the period.
The writing will appeal to more than just history buffs. In short, it is a superbly written story that will have readers turning pages with eager anticipation of what comes next, page after page.
An excellent book. Baldacci proves himself to be far more than just a crime writer.
