Amy Lynn Green - Things We Didn't Say

Headstrong Johanna Berglund, a linguistics student at the University of Minnesota, has very definite plans for her future . . . plans that do not include returning to her hometown and the secrets and heartaches she left behind there. But the US Army wants her to work as a translator at a nearby camp for German POWs.
Johanna arrives to find the once-sleepy town exploding with hostility. Most patriotic citizens want nothing to do with German soldiers laboring in their fields, and they're not afraid to criticize those who work at the camp as well. When Johanna describes the trouble to her friend Peter Ito, a language instructor at a school for military intelligence officers, he encourages her to give the town that rejected her a second chance.
As Johanna interacts with the men of the camp and censors their letters home, she begins to see the prisoners in a more sympathetic light. But advocating for better treatment makes her enemies in the community, especially when charismatic German spokesman Stefan Werner begins to show interest in Johanna and her work. The longer Johanna wages her home-front battle, the more the lines between compassion and treason become blurred--and it's no longer clear whom she can trust.

Comment: I've added this book to the pile four years ago and I finally got the chance to start it. Thankfully, it ended up being a very satisfying read for me!

In this epistolary novel, we follow heroine Johanna Berglund, a college student in 1944 whose biggest dream is to study at Oxford. Jo is interested in languages and academic texts and she is at the university through the help of a scholarship, funded by someone anonymous. Things change when German prisoners of war are sent to America, and Jo is knowledgeable of the language and is a local, making her the perfect choice. She isn't as eager at first, but with time and effort, she starts seeing the good things her role can provide, namely helping the prisoners understanding another way of life. At the same time she keeps corresponding with friends and one of them, Peter Ito, tells about his own experiences as a teacher in a similar position to Jo's. However, someone is paying attention and Jo's innocence might be an easy target for someone with ulterior motives...

I really loved the fact this story was completely told through letters! We never see the character's interactions nor their specific actions but reading about it made them as alive as if so, and I must say that in this regard, I think the author's choice was successful. I suppose it also helps that I, personally, tend to enjoy this choice of narrative, and here it was a well achieved method.

I also think this was a good choice because it can certainly be easier to appreciate the nuances of letter exchanges when the characters don't have emails nor cell phones to do it more quickly. I also loved that this allowed veracity to the fact the letters have correct punctuation and grammar - it made it more realistic that people would use formal writing, and it was better for me to read it. Also, the letters being written after the events took place means we get to understand the characters through their opinions and some things are even inferred through details here and there, which might not have seemed important at first.

The reality is that I've read this very easily, practically in one day and I was always eager to see what would happen next, despite the predictability of certain things, considering the theme and the year the action takes place. As one can imagine, part of the plot revolves about war issues, prejudices and labels given to people because of this or that. The setting is also an interesting choice (historically accurate considering the author's notes at the end) because one would not imagine America's Midwest - if I understood correctly - to be the first pick for these types of camps, although the distance to a border or to a body of water certainly has its reason.

The theme is not one readers would find congenial, but Jo is a wonderful heroine, witty and sarcastic at times, with one of those voices that captivated and makes her immediately likable. I was drawn to her personality, to her dreams and to her funny way of writing letters where she doesn't want to be a friendly person! I think the author did a great job in developing Jo's personality and how she shines through her letters. Of course, we get to realize that despite her bravado, she is still a littler naive and as expected, towards the end of the book a few things happen that affect her reputation.

This also has a christian vibe, there is some talk about God and beliefs, but I don't think anyone not religious will find it overwhelming or out of place. I think there are enough situations to justify this, and the setting reinforces this notion, I think. Perhaps a few situations - alluded to because we don't see them happening of course -might seem a little too simplistic, but it's not my perception that the author wanted to be political or religious about her novel. To me, the story has balance and thoughtfulness, but as always it might depend on the reader's POV.

I would say that, considering what is described, the end was a little rushed, or the situations described seemed to be a bit too repetitive, but that is a consequence of the story being developed through letters and not of having specific introspection by the characters. A few scenes also seemed to be far fetched because it doesn't seem likely they would have been able to happen, even if we only know about them afterwards. Some the author tried to twist a little, but I don't think it would be possible to stretch the possibilities too far from where they went.

I'd say that, to me, the final result is a positive one. I liked the characters, I liked turning the pages, I liked wanting to know what would be said next, even if some situations were predictable. I know a few things might not fully work for some readers, but to me this was a great experience. It was also great that Jo is a translator for most of the novel... since that is my academic degree, I always find it cute to read about fellow translators!

Grade: 8/10