All That We Have Lost
It is 2019, and after her husband’s death Imogen Wren decides to follow their joint dream and move to France, against the advice of friends and to her ex-mother-in-law’s despair. The abandoned chateau in Brittany that Imogen manages to purchase possesses secrets from WW2.
This narrative moves in alternate chapters between 1944 and 2019. Both narratives are equally engaging. Both are impressively plotted. They hold mysteries which cross from past to present and keep a reader glued to the page. The novel reminds us with the distance of time that not all German soldiers were bad people in themselves, though the Breton villagers do have long memories. The novel is, importantly, an ode to the courage of those who lost their lives aiding the Resistance. It is a beautiful story about courage, haunted by ghosts from the past.
Imogen is cleverly constructed. She is a healing catalyst and, in turn, her broken heart is healed. The chateau’s restoration is a challenge, but she will discover that her father’s words ring true: Papa always told us that to be brave doesn’t mean you have no fear, it just means you can move forward in spite of that fear. This is an excellent dual-time novel and a memorable one. Readers who enjoy the genre will love it—as did this reviewer.
