A Book A Week

Peruse any local bookstore, and you'll find shelves lined with historical fiction novels set during WWII. Recreations of famous battles, fictionalized versions of real people, and even soaring romances set amongst the rubble of the war are all available to read. The sheer volume of works centered around the subject can be overwhelming. I've always been fascinated with the history of that time, but I've had mixed results with reading the fiction inspired by it. It was with cautious optimism that I accepted a copy of author Luis Alberto Urrea's latest WWII epic Good Night, Irene from his publisher. It was a wonderfully written novel that separates itself from similar fares by focusing on solid character work and meticulously researched scenes. 

The Second World War saw many Americans looking to support the cause in whatever way they could. We've heard countless stories of brave men called to fight for their country, but what about the women? They didn't simply sit at home, waiting for their husbands to return. No, many women participated in the war efforts at home and abroad. Good Night, Irene follows one such group. 

Irene has just called things off with an abusive fiance when she decides to join the Red Cross. The year is 1943, and she is enlisting to serve overseas. Lacking the medical training that would be required to be a nurse, Irene is instead placed into a group of women nicknamed the Donut Dollies. She has been paired with Dorothy, a tall, farm-raised woman who is Irene's complete opposite. As they are planted in Europe, their task is simple. The pair drive around the war zone frying donuts, serving coffee, and spreading a bit of hometown goodwill to the men fighting for freedom. What begins as an adventure of a lifetime soon becomes much more real. The realities of war are at hand, and nothing can shield these women from that fact. 

Luis Alberto Urrea was inspired to write this novel in part by the life of his late mother. He writes in a forward to the book that at the time of his mother's passing in 1990, she left her journals and scrapbooks that revealed the truth about her time in the great war. That personal connection to the story reveals itself within the careful consideration taken to bring each character to life. Urrea inhabits his novel with real people who you can't help but root for. He combines these characters with heart-racing scenes of the war that more than drive the novel's plot. My only real complaint with this one is that the ending was a bit more sentimental than I anticipated. That doesn't make it bad, but it was a bit of a different tone given everything that preceded it. As I read, I was struck by the similarities of that time with the present day. War is still a plague to humanity, and the reverberating impacts of it continue to ripple across generations. Good Night, Irene is a brilliant tribute to the Greatest Generation and a sobering reminder of the horrors of war. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2023, 33)