The Loose Thread (Three Sisters)
In 1938 London, young Rose, the eldest of three daughters of a wealthy haberdasher, returns to her posh home to find her father scolding her boyfriend, Tom, in the drawing room. Young Tom is from a Jersey island family and is in London on business. Rose and Tom, having fallen in love earlier, are planning to marry and travel together to Jersey to Tom’s family farm. Rose’s parents, although initially upset at the prospect of their daughter becoming a farm wife, reluctantly give their blessings. In Jersey, while Rose is met cordially by Tom’s parents, she is surprisingly cold-shouldered by Tom’s younger sister, Kathleen. Rose does her utmost to make a go of her marriage, participate in farming chores, and struggles to gain acceptance within her new family and the community. However, WWII breaks out, and as the British are unable to protect Jersey, the Germans invade the island. The war takes a toll on Rose and Tom’s marriage, which leads to inconceivable pain and suffering that test their love.
Although the first of the Three Sisters series, this novel is essentially a standalone. It’s written in Liz Harris’ typical descriptive style and set just before and during WWII. Her visit (mentioned in the acknowledgements) to Jersey and extensive research on the German occupation are used effectively in the plot and the narration of the lives and sufferings endured by the islanders. The era’s customs and the dialogue and mannerisms of the people transport us to the locations. The characters are well chosen, particularly Kathleen as a nasty villain. Some of the details of the Nazis’ brutal treatment of the non-Jersey-born individuals are revealing. An informative novel of the only area where the German troops set foot on a British Dependency.
