THE NOTE THROUGH THE WIRE by Doug Gold

 

SYNOPSIS:

Praised as an “unforgettable love story” by Heather Morris, New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, this is the real-life, unlikely romance between a resistance fighter and prisoner of war set in World War II Europe.

In this true love story that defies all odds, Josefine Lobnik, a Yugoslav partisan heroine, and Bruce Murray, a New Zealand soldier, discover love in the midst of a brutal war.

In the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe, two people meet fleetingly in a chance encounter. One an underground resistance fighter, a bold young woman determined to vanquish the enemy occupiers; the other a prisoner of war, a man longing to escape the confines of the camp so he can battle again. A crumpled note passes between these two strangers, slipped through the wire of the compound, and sets them on a course that will change their lives forever.

Woven through their tales of great bravery, daring escapes, betrayal, torture, and retaliation is their remarkable love story that survived against all odds. This is an extraordinary account of two ordinary people who found love during the unimaginable hardships of Hitler’s barbaric regime as told by their son-in-law Doug Gold, who decided to tell their story from the moment he heard about their remarkable tale of bravery, resilience, and resistance.

MY THOUGHTS:

This was different from what I thought it was going to be. It's not my typical historical fiction story but it is very good. It held my attention and made me want to keep reading. It was very realistic and heartbreaking in many places. It was a love story but much more. 

This is the story of Bruce and Josefine. Two people in very different places in life. One a POW and the other a Parisian. One a soldier and the other a daughter, sister, friend, fighter. 

This story starts out with a man seeing an old woman outside the fence of the prison camp he is assigned too. She's trying to tell him something but neither understand the other. She slips a note through the wire and runs off, promising to return the following Sunday. Then it goes to Bruce's life and all he does and goes through to end up in the prison camp. Also Josefine's life as she lives daily. All the things a girl her age does and hopes for in life. When the war breaks out each story takes a different turn than I thought. I thought this was just going to be a love story of a man and woman during the war in a POW camp. It's so much more than that. 

Alternating between these two characters as the months go by and telling what leads up to their first meeting you will learn so much about them. The terrors of war. Of losing your friends. Seeing then die on the battlefield. Going over such horrid things and making you feel the pain and desperation of a soldier. Helping prisoners during a horrific war to escape and feel safe again. Feeding and hiding them. Both of these characters had a job to do and they did it well. 

This book truly does make you feel like you are watching a war movie. Seeing bombs drop or bullets flying. Seeing a person killed. A town ravaged. Destruction all around. What a person goes through and then expected to just pick up and live like nothing happened. Trying to get back to the person you love most in the world and finding how hard it is. When that moment finally happens and the feeling of happiness felt. This book does give you many feelings. 

The author's note at the end is worth reading too. You will learn a lot about this book and the research put into it. The part About the Author at the end is well worth reading also. Doug Gold is the son in law of Bruce and Josefine. How awesome is that. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #DougGold, #williammorrowandcustomhouse for this ARC.. This is my own true feelings about this book. 

4/5 stars. I recommend it if you like a very descriptive story of war, love, loss, finding your way.