A Dangerous Game
John Wilson’s A Dangerous Game is a young adult novel written in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of WWI. The story takes place in Damme, Belgium, where the heroine, Manon Wouters, lives with her mother and teenage brother, Florien. As a newly-minted nurse, Manon leaves home to join the Allied cause after her father is executed in reprisal by occupying Germans. She is caring for Allied soldiers in England when she’d recruited to spy for MI6, then flown into Belgium to resume her life with her family and to nurse injured German soldiers—potential sources of military information.
The game Manon plays is indeed dangerous. German soldiers almost capture her as she photographs their new bombers. It was pure luck that she is discovered by a sympathetic and canny farmer. Then she risks exposure by sheltering a downed English airman who joins her in a final gambit as Allied bombs rain down. All the while in the background is Florien, a Nazi devotee, who could discover what she was doing and put a disastrous end to the game.
A Dangerous Game is a pleasure to read. It’s a fast-paced, exciting story with lots of accurate historical information. The ending, too, is very well done. Granted, there a few “deus ex machina” events, but overall this is a great read. It’s also a refreshing change from zombies, nasty girls, and dystopian survivor novels. Despite being a war story, it showcases ordinary people at their best, bravely working together in terrible times.
