Reviewed by Nigella.
The novel is set in 1940 and 1950s post war USA. I wouldn’t
in normal circumstances read a contemporary novel about post war America. But I loved it. The
boy who sets the scene and brings hometown America to life is a delightful
child. He loves his mom Hilde and dad Martin, who were wartime lovers.
Unfortunately war leaves scars and their relationship is not as might be as a married couple. It’s
a familiar story of love in wartime, and while Hilde must accept she stole a
cheating husband from his wife she knows she can lose him in exactly the same
way. Hilde does lose Martin and when she and Huey set out to build a new life
far from Martin’s influence, she takes a job in a local diner. Ironically a
similar situation has left Patrick West all alone and Patrick frequents the diner.
Soon Hilde and Patrick find common ground. But the old saying ‘once bitten
twice shy’ poses a major problem. The happy ever becomes a hard won affair for
Hilde when ex partners step back into their lives. I really did like this
story. Flashbacks from the present to the past flowed well, and all to the
benefit of the reader. However, there are a few problems with past and present
tenses within the text which could be ironed out with a little minor editing.
