One Good Thing
Fans of World War II fiction who have read Georgia Hunter’s first book, We Were the Lucky Ones, or seen the limited series on Hulu, will be chomping at the bit to get their hands on this one. They will not be disappointed. The story, while smaller in scope, again tells the story of ordinary people ensnared in the vise of fascism.
Hunter focuses on Italy this time, where a young Jewish woman named Lili and her friends, Esti and Niko, are beginning their lives after university. Esti and Niko have started a family while Lili enjoys a budding career as a journalist. Hunter effectively develops these characters as their world slowly becomes a boiling vat—Lili, the sensible one; Esti, the rebel; and Niko, the playful young papa. Bit by bit, they lose their freedoms and must come to terms with a new and violent reality. When Niko leaves to help his family in Greece, Esti convinces Lili to relocate to a small village with her and her young son to help take care of a group of Jewish orphans. As the war machine moves inexorably closer, Lili must relinquish the dreams of the past in order to fight for the future.
Drawn from actual events, the story shows us not just the villains but also the many ordinary heroes who risked their lives to help the oppressed. Rather than dwelling on the horrors of the Holocaust, Hunter focuses on the emotional cost of loss as well as the resilience of the human heart. This is a beautiful, compelling novel. The pace is slow at times, but it never drags. As with her earlier book, there’s a feeling of forward momentum at the conclusion—a defiant hopefulness that may well bring tears to your eyes.
