This novel is the first work of historical fiction written by author, Annie Lyons. Prior to this dive into history, she had released several titles in the genre of Uplit, and I think this is important to understanding the reason for some of the qualms I had with The Air Raid Book Club, which I will get into later. First of all, what is Uplit? Essentially, as suggested by the title, it’s uplifting literature that’s packed with emotion, life lessons, and has an intense focus on human relationships. There’s often a quirky every-man/woman character who starts off a bit curmudgeonly and softens a bit over the course of the story. Think A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, two of my personal faves. There’s a major element of self discovery no matter the age of the protagonist. So, with this little intro to the genre, let’s keep that in mind as we explore this book a bit further.

Synopsis

Gertie Bingham, owner and proprietor of Bingham Books in London, finds herself at loss of how to move forward just prior to the onset of WWII in 1938. She’s recently lost the love of her life, Harry. As a result, running the bookshop no longer has the same appeal. She and Harry were once the perfect couple, fulfilling their dreams and serving a purpose for their community that just felt right. Without Harry, the bookshop feels like a part of her past rather than an integral piece of her future. Just as she settles on an idea to retire to the seaside with her dog, Hemingway, fate takes hold when the war comes crashing down around her. Gertie opens her home up to a young German girl, Hedy Fischer. Together, the two of them learn to navigate the new landscape of London and the world as a whole, and will learn so much about themselves and each other in the process.

Review

Truly, this is a lovely and uplifting book. It’s very clear that Lyons has her roots in this type of literature, because The Air Raid Book Club fits in quite well with the Uplit category. While not full-on curmudgeonly (though there are a couple of characters one could easily describe this way), Gertie starts off as quite lonely and lost, her grief and sadness having stripped her of her original zest for life. It will take the forging of a new and unlikely relationship to pull her out of her funk and give her a new and unexpected purpose in life. In this way, Lyons makes this one of the most feel-good WWII novels, an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one. Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with this. For those people who may be growing weary of the bleak and hard realities of typical historical fiction surrounding this time period, this could be a pretty refreshing link in the chain to make things feel a bit less heavy.

I’m not saying there isn’t death and sadness and all that. It’s certainly there, but it’s less in your face. It’s all happening over there, and our characters are hearing about it from their vantage points far removed from the carnage and bloodshed. We mostly experience the residual grief and the unease that comes with being constantly on guard of air raids, as well as the worry and fear for loved-ones in harms way. We feel much more like a casual observer than one who is actually immersed within the drama. Personally, as far as historical fiction goes, this lessens my ability to connect fully with the characters. Learning about the death of a person who has been consistently on the periphery of the story doesn’t elicit the same range of emotion as it would have in a more immersive novel. Even Harry, whose death was the catalyst for Gertie’s current emotional predicament, we don’t really feel anything for because we only know OF him. He was a character of a past we don’t explore. We don’t see the relationships between Gertie and Hedy and the people they have lost in their lives. We hear about them, and that’s a different thing entirely.

What we do see is the progression of Gertie and Hedy’s relationship, and that’s the heart of the story. Essentially, this is not really a war novel. It’s a friendship novel. It’s a novel of love and acceptance and of forging family in the unlikeliest of places with what you are given in the face of adversity. Viewing the book from that angle, it’s very adept and serves its purpose quite well. As a piece of war fiction, the emotional heft you would expect is not present. That’s totally ok, because every reader has their own preferences. Some people don’t like to have nightmares about being forced to make Sophie’s choice, and I get that. My heart still aches when I think about that damn book. Thanks, Mr. Styron.

Overall, this is a long-winded way of saying this is an enjoyable read that is surprisingly light. It’s a lovely story and it’s well-written. You can read it on the beach and not wind up bathing in your own puddle of tears. For that, I settle on 3 stars. Liked it but wasn’t absolutely blown away.

Published July 11, 2023 by HarperAudio. ISBN 9780063296220. Runtime 9 hrs, 29 mins. Narrated by Jilly Bond.