Thin Line Between Love & Hate

Letters From an Unknown Woman
Gerard Woodward
Fiction

This was one of those books. You know what I’m talking about. The kind where you start reading it and you think, eh, this isn’t that great, I don’t know if I want to keep reading. But you do and then you get to a really good part and you think, I’m glad I didn’t stop reading. Then you turn the page and suddenly you’re back to not liking the book. Then a few pages later, you like it again. I went back and forth on it all the way to the end. I cannot remember the last time that happened.

Letters From an Unknown Woman is about a woman (shocking, I know) named Tory Pace who lives in London during World War II. Her husband’s missing in action, her children have been sent away for their own protection, and her mother has come to live with her. She works in a gelatin factory, waiting and hoping for life to go back to normal. Then she gets a letter from Donald, the husband. He’s a POW, he misses her, and he really wants a dirty letter (he has his reasons, which he doesn't share with her). Tory is shocked, to say the least, especially when she receives more letters, each one more desperate than the next, begging her to describe all the filthy things she wants to do in the bedroom. Tory refuses, horrified her husband is acting so out-of-character, but then she becomes friendly with the owner of the factory and…well, I don’t to describe the whole plot of the book. Needless to say, a lot of stuff happens. Weird and surprising stuff.

One of the things I loved about this book was the subtle humor. I would read a line and actually smile, a rare feat for me because usually (I find) humor in fiction books is so over-the-top I end up rolling my eyes instead. But Woodward takes small moments and characters and injects quite a bit of comedy despite the serious setting. It took awhile for me to like Tory, but eventually she became my favorite character. And even though I hated Donald, there were a few moments where I understood where he was coming from and briefly sympathized with him. But then he went back to being an ass and I hated him all over again. This book had so many twists and turns. Sometimes I enjoyed them and sometimes I didn’t, but when I reached the final page, I was glad I picked it up and gave it a chance. You will be, too. Maybe. Probably. Oh, I don’t know, just go read it and tell me what you think.