When We Were Enemies
PR agent Elise comes from Hollywood royalty. Her mother and grandmother are megastars, yet the limelight has never held any allure for her. It takes a lot of convincing from her fiancé and mother to persuade her to participate in a documentary about her grandmother’s life as a young woman in Indiana. Before she was Vivian Snow, Vivian Santini worked by day as a secretary/translator at an Italian POW camp and by night as a USO singer. The documentary is supposed to follow Elise as she prepares to get married in the same chapel where her grandparents wed. But things her grandmother told her don’t align with the facts the film crew digs up. Uncovering the secrets of her grandmother’s past makes Elise question everything, including what she really wants for the future.
Bleeker successfully blends a contemporary story with Vivian’s life in the 1940s. WWII is a popular time period for historical fiction, and it can be hard to find a story with a new angle. The novel’s focus on Italian POWs living on American soil is different and highlights a subject many readers may not be familiar with. Her description of camp rules and life is well-researched and provides insight into the treatment of Italians during the war. And the star of the novel, Vivian, really shines; her life before stardom is so interesting and layered that it leaves the reader wanting more. I would love a second book following her character’s path as she becomes a Hollywood starlet and later a seasoned actress.
