RHYS BOWEN:
Why are we suddenly so fascinated with World War Two?
Today I was sent a link to a Book Bub mailing, recommending
World War 2 novels to Book Clubs. Fourteen titles in all, published this year.
Fourteen new books and the year isn’t nearly over yet.
Mine was one of them, of course, and I have been thrilled by
its success.
But why this sudden fascination with World War Two? Personally I put it down in part to the
current political climate: to the similarities we see with hate groups and
marches and exclusive rhetoric, all of which makes us feel uncertain and afraid
of what might happen next. Perhaps it is comforting to read about a similar
time and to know that good finally prevailed.
I think we are drawn to stories of World War Two because it
was the last clear time of good versus evil. Every war since then has been
clouded in ambiguity, with no clear mandate of doing the right thing. In my
WWII story I show rural England and a population driven to serve, to protect
and defend if the Germans ever invade. And also we are aware that the last
survivors will not live much longer. We must preserve the stories, lest we
forget. And how soon that is! A Jewish writer friend went to talk to a school
and said that her grandmother had been in a concentration camp.
“What had she done?” the children asked.
“She was Jewish,” my friend said.
They looked puzzled. “Yes, but what had she done?” They couldn’t fathom that someone could be
imprisoned or killed because of race. And yet we know that crimes of violence
that are racially motivated are still happening. We must make sure coming
generations never forget.
You might think that fourteen new books are an excess. And
these were only the recommended titles. There are probably many more. But the
interesting thing is that the stories rarely overlap. Because it was a world
war there are so many stories, so many points of view: the homeland tales in
England and America, the Resistance in France, Jewish stories from all over
Europe, battle tales of invasion, harrowing tales of occupation and even
stories from the German perspective. My
next stand-alone novel features a British pilot who is shot down over Italy. So
many stories still waiting to be told.
Have you read a World War Two novel this year?
