Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans is the second of three connected books about an orphaned boy during WW2. I have read the third one (see review here) and have the first one on my to-be-read pile so I am actually reading the series in reverse order. You can, however, read them as standalones so it’s not a great problem.
Noel is a 10 year old boy, brought up for most of his childhood by his Godmother, Mattie. Mattie is a former suffragette, articulate and with forthright opinions that rub off on Noel. Noel adores Mattie, even as her mind deteriorates. He is reluctantly evacuated, via his claustrophobic uncle and aunt, to St Albans where he is taken in by Vee, a woman living a chaotic life whose ideas to get money inevitably fail, leaving her in constant debt and scraping for a living. She has a 19 year old work-shy son Donald and a mother who cannot speak and spends her time writing to the Prime Minister about the war effort. They are both dependant on Vee who gets nothing in return. Hers is quite a sad and almost desperate life.
Vee initially sees Noel as a simple lad and a source of revenue, as she is paid to take him in and as she seeks to use him in her dubious money making activities. Noel is unhappy but when he becomes involved in Vee’s latest scam his curiosity is aroused. An unlikely relationship is gradually built on an instinctive, mutual trust and understanding, with Noel as the planner. Noel has his own agenda of vengeance following the death of Mattie and is a willing conspirator until things go disastrously wrong and he finds himself alone and vulnerable.
This is a novel set against the background of the war and the Blitz on London. The scenes are realistic and there is a culture of everyman for himself, with the emphasis on staying alive. This book is enjoyable to read. There is humour built around the characters of Vee and Noel. They are both survivors. Their dialogue and interaction sparkle as the two are drawn together by more than coincidence. Mattie is also delightfully portrayed, even when her dementia takes hold and the author is realistic about what that means for both her and Noel. The predicament Donald lands himself in is fully deserved, his story adding an extra layer to the story.
This book is often joyful and occasionally sad but it’s an interesting view of lives and situations which don’t often feature in novels set in this period.
Anne Is Reading 