Most people are unfamiliar with Norway’s role in World War II. Germany invaded on April 9, 1940 and occupied it until they officially surrendered in May of 1945. Shortly before, King Haakon VII and key members of his government escaped to London. Many fishermen sailed off that morning only to learn of the invasion in their absence. Many decided not to return, leaving their families to uncertain fates.
The novel opens in the late fall of 1944. Anni is a young wife and mother to Ingrid, who is just six. Her husband, Lars, is one of the fishermen who did not return, but instead joined the Allied forces to fight. Anni, with the help of Lars’ mother, whom both Anni and Ingrid called “Besta,” try their hardest to find light in dark days. Anni and Besta both help the Norwegian Resistance as best they can, though they are wary of drawing too much attention because of their love for Ingrid.
Food and warm clothing and shoes are growing scarcer the longer the war rolls on. Then, just as winter closes in, a frightening event occurs: a car rolls up to Anni’s house and a Nazi officer informs her that he will be billeting with her and her daughter. Anni is terrified for two reasons: first, she fears the officer will be cruel to Ingrid. Second, she knows what happens to Norwegian women who are known to fraternize with the enemy. She has no intention of doing so, but she would be a woman living alone with a German, and she knows how tongues wag in town. Through no fault of her own, she runs the risk of being tainted by his mere presence, and Anni must play a dangerous game for the survival of her small family.
Told in parts between mother in 1944 and daughter in the years following the war, Anni and Ingrid’s story unfolds piece by piece. The story, though new to us, probably has many all-too-familiar parallels to real-life stories. The authors did a masterful job of enriching the story with period detail, relating the hardships of one of the lesser-known areas of the war.
∞ Author Profile
Anna Normann is the pseudonym of authors Anan Singh and Natalie Normann. Natalie is Norwegian native and is fascinated by history, especially the tales of her family who lived through the World War II occupation of Norway. She is a prolific historical romance author in her country. Anan was born in northern India but has lived in Norway since he was 22. He had his first short story published in a newspaper when he was 14. Together, they have published seven books in different genres.
by Anna Normann
Publisher: Allison & Busby
352 Pages | $28 US
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