The English Wife
Trigger warnings: 9/11, war, grief over the loss of a loved one
In the aftermath of WWII, English war bride Ellie must move to Canada with her soldier husband.
Her niece Sophie is on a plane on September 11, 2001 and is rerouted to Newfoundland, where she contacts her estranged aunt.
Ellie is an English art student during World War II when bombs start being dropped on her English town. She meets a soldier from Newfoundland and marries him, and must travel to Canada to be with him after the war is over.
Sophie is Ellie's niece, who doesn't know about her estranged aunt until she sees a Christmas card in the mail from Ellie. She copies down her Canadian address and thinks nothing of it until years later her plane is grounded in Newfoundland on 9/11.
The stories are told in non-linear timelines, with Ellie's story beginning at the end of the war when she is traveling to Newfoundland. Then the narrative loops back to tell Ellie's wartime story. Sophie's story begins on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 when she is flying to Newfoundland for the second time for her company. Then the story of the flight ten years prior begins to unfold.
It becomes apparent within the first few chapters of the book why Ellie and her younger sister Dottie might have severed ties, and it involves a man. But is this man what drove the wedge between them? It is clear that Dottie doesn't want her older sister to leave England at the end of the war.
Sophie was raised in England but lives in New York City working for a prominent architectural firm. Her breathtaking photos of Newfoundland from her unintentional trip a decade prior have captured the attention of her firm as a new travel destination. Sophie must return to the rural area to convince the townspeople of the firm's plan to build a hotel nearby. Returning to the area means she must revisit her relationships with her aunt and an old flame.
While Ellie's wartime story would naturally be the more interesting of the two timelines, Sophie's story still captivates with historical details of 9/11 and her discovery of the self she left behind as she pursued a safe career.
Recommended for readers of historical fiction, family sagas, and women's fiction.
Adrienne Chinn is a Canadian interior designer currently residing in Sussex, England.
Publisher: One More Chapter
Length: 448 pages
Release Date: February 16, 2021 (ebook originally released June 2020)
I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.