This beautifully written novel is an account of a member of the Czech Resistance movement during WWII and her life and family afterwards - sort of. Beginning with her son in the US much later, the story begins to explore her pervasive sadness/depression, which centres around a lover from the days of the War. As we see his boyhood, then learn more about her and her experiences when he as a grown man travels to the Czech Republic & other surrounding bits of Europe, the story of her involvement with a (fictional) member of Operation Anthropoid (a real event*) and the aftermath of that, the reasons for her lifelong struggle with life begin to become clear. Although we know it won't come out well from quite early on, I didn't work out where it was really going until right at the end. I really enjoyed this; in addition to introducing me to a part of history I knew very little about - I know lots of stuff about WWII, but this is an aspect not really focused on (unless, presumably, you are from the former Czechoslovakia...).
This book is a super example to promote my belief in the importance of reading fiction. Yes, it's beautiful writing, and yes, it was interesting, but even more importantly than that, a book like this gives you the chance to be inside someone else's experience and help you understand what it was like in that time, situation and experience. If everyone had the ability to have empathy for others, the world would be a better place; fiction is a great way to build empathy.
*Operation Arthropoid was the (successful) plot by the Czech government-in-exile and the British Special Operations Executive to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Nazi security services and Hitler's leader in Bohemia and Moravia. In reprisal, Hitler had thousands and thousands of unconnected citizens arrested and killed, and destroyed whole villages on mere rumours of their involvement. It's fascinating, and horrible - look it up, even if you don't read this book!
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