The Unknown Birds
In 1916 London, 18-year-old Charlotte Ashley (Ash) concocts a plan to save her twin brother from treason after he runs away to evade his British army draft notice. She wears men’s clothes, chops off her long hair, wraps her modest chest in bandages, and signs up in her brother’s place. A natural speedy runner, Ash is assigned to a squadron of runners carrying important messages among miles of trenches. Her trainer is a handsome and wise sniper, Alex Rook. Ash and Rook bond from their first assignment, followed by months and then years of grueling trench warfare. Together they experience filth and mud, shooting and cannon fire, lice and rats. Soon they are soulmates and cannot abide being separated, though Rook never learns Ash’s true gender, and eventually the tides of war separate them. Twenty years later, Ash, now a mature woman, is an expert teacher of poetry. She and Rook meet at one of her lectures at the University of London. Again, they bond easily though torn by regret for the time lost. Ash, deeply guilty about having deceived Rook, worries he can’t forgive her and that she might lose him once more.
Prendeville’s prose and dialogue expertly blend the two timelines and plots—will they survive their harrowing trench-running and sniper duties unharmed; will they at last bond fully in body and soul? Many superbly rendered vignettes (German and Brit soldiers sharing Christmas carols across the trenches, special packages from home, multiple rescues, a dog that carries messages where humans can’t) add to the main stories. Details of trench warfare and foibles of very human secondary characters all feel authentic and are never overdone. Highly recommended for any reader looking for a story of war and romance.
