Those We Carry
Ardagh Cadieu joins the Canadian army to fight against the Nazis in WWII, but he is also fleeing from a horrific mistake in his past. Can he overcome his guilt and move forward? Koos van den Berg is part of the Danish resistance while the Germans occupy her hometown. Can she stay alive long enough to help her country? Then there is the boy she had liked, who did the unthinkable and joined the Dutch Nazis. When Koos and Ardagh meet, his past and her controlling family seem too much to overcome. Can they beat the odds and stay together?
This is a gritty, realistic look at the casualties of war, and of life. The mistakes and choices we make, and even the people we love, we carry with us as long as we live. Even brief contacts can make lasting impressions: “The fish and chips guy,” Ardagh said. “It’s funny the things you remember of the guys, brief clips or moments, or gestures they made, but if you asked me about a conversation we had, I couldn’t remember a thing.” The descriptions of battle are very detailed and well-researched. The bond between soldiers who fight together and the grief of watching your friends die on the battlefield are brought home over and over. The scene of the padre walking through the aftermath of the Battle of the Gap, speaking to the dead men, is one the reader will carry with them after the book is finished. Even those who are never on the battlefield carry others with them through loss, regret, and even love. Those We Carry shows the powerful connection we all have, and the bond with those who are gone, but never leave us. This deeply emotional book is based on a true story.
