The Weight of Goodbye by Eliza Graham

 

1937. On the eve of her debutante season in London, Lucia Blake rebels against her domineering father and his fascist politics and runs away to France. Breaking the promise to always look after her, she leaves behind her adored younger sister, Della. Seeking freedom Lucia finds unexpected passion in the arms of a charming French archaeologist. But as war looms over Europe, their idyllic love is shattered by an unspeakable tragedy.

Returning to war-torn London, a heartbroken Lucia buries her past and throws herself into work as an ambulance driver. Every time she heads into the Blitz to rescue people she gambles with death. Yet it’s when she pulls a terrified young girl from the rubble— clutching a toy elephant—that suppressed memories surge to the surface. Bound by grief, Lucia and the child embark on a desperate search for the girl’s missing father, forming an unbreakable bond.

But the ghosts of Lucia’s past won’t stay silent. As the bombs fall and death claims those around her, she longs for Della to forgive her for the pain she caused when she fled those years ago. Will her sister ever be able to reconcile with Lucia? Or will the weight of goodbye prove too much to bear?

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About The Author

 

Eliza Graham's novels have been long-listed for the UK's Richard & Judy Summer Book Club in the UK, and short-listed for World Book Day's 'Hidden Gem' competition. She has also been nominated for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Her books have been bestsellers both in Europe and the US.

She is fascinated by the world of the 1930s and 1940s: the Second World War and its immediate aftermath and the trickle-down effect on future generations. Consequently she's made trips to visit bunkers in Brittany, decoy harbours in Cornwall, wartime radio studios in Bedfordshire and cemeteries in Szczecin, Poland. And those are the less obscure research trips.

It was probably inevitable that Eliza would pursue a life of writing. She spent biology lessons reading Jean Plaidy novels behind the textbooks, sitting at the back of the classroom. In English and history lessons she sat right at the front, hanging on to every word. At home she read books while getting dressed and cleaning her teeth. During school holidays she visited the public library multiple times a day.

At Oxford University she studied English Literature, which didn't teach her much about writing a modern novel, but expanded her knowledge of the literary canon and how people have used books and words to communicate with one another since Saxon times.

She has worked as a 'Saturday' girl in Marks & Spencer, an entrance-hall cleaner, a trainee banker and as a PR consultant and business writer, covering subjects from long-tail insurance risks to jumbo factory loo rolls.

Eliza lives in an ancient village in the Oxfordshire countryside with her family. Not far from her house there is a large perforated sarsen stone that can apparently summon King Alfred if you blow into it correctly. Eliza has never managed to summon him. Her interests still mainly revolve around reading, but she also enjoys walking in the downland country around her home and travelling around the world to research her novels.

Find out more about Eliza on her website: www.elizagrahamauthor.com. You can also follow her on Twitter: @Eliza_Graham.

 

My Review

This is a very different WWII story, with roots in the Great War, and being swept up in fascism, and the affects it has on a family in Great Britten.
The author gives us a lot in a story, and as we delve deeper into the book, answers do come along with some great surprises.
We are given some sweet romance, along with the horrible bombing in the streets of London, and the compassion of helping those less fortunate. This is also a dual time read, 2020 back to 1938, although most of this takes place in the late 30's.
The author does a wonderful job of bringing a look at life of a family during WWII!
I received this book through Net Galley and Storm Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.