The Lines Between Us

GIVEAWAY

GREEN, AMY LYNN

THE LINES BETWEEN US

A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience fo the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women's Army Corps.

Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don't add up.

A member fo the Women's Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother's pacifism, but she's shocked by news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report...and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it's wrong to lie, she's willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.

My Review:

Another book that took me to unexpected places.

First, kudos to the author for finding a fresh WWII angle to write from. The Homefront setting has so many aspects I've never considered before. In The Lines Between Us (brilliant title tie-in, by the way), Green takes a hard look at the role of Conscientious Observers among some other controversial topics that left me with lots to ponder over.

While not completely epistolary fiction, letters and other documentation are scattered through out the narrative. I liked the way they enhance the storytelling and bring the reader closer to the characters and the mystery. 

Speaking of characters. I adored Gordon from the very first page. Dorie...not so much. This heroine riled me early on and kept me stewing for quite a while. She's opinionated and judgemental and brash. Feisty. Outrageously outspoken. More apt to act before thinking anything through. She's a firecracker and while I loved her spunk, it was the bitterness and ill-conceived convictions that had me seething. 

But, thankfully, Dorie is on a journey and the author does an incredible job with characterization. Not only with her heroine but with Gordon and a multitude of secondary characters as well. I felt like I'd been stretched and pummelled and pulled apart by the end of this novel. My heart is still tender and sore and I don't mind confessing I cried in a few places. 

"There's a lot of judgment in the bible."

"And a lot of grace."..."When I learn how to find the balance, I'll let you know." (p117)

This story, these characters, have worked their way into my heart and left me with some life altering takeaways. I'm still hashing through a briar patch of tangled thoughts and feelings over the many ways I can see history repeating itself. And wondering what I can do to help stop that endless loop of repetition. Always a great thing when a book sparks a desire in a reader to look deeper.

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Lines Between Us, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 30  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!