The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons is sad but still heartwarming. In 1938 Gertie Bingham is mourning the loss of her husband and struggling to run their bookstore that no longer feels the same. Thinking about retiring Gertie ends up postponing when her longtime friend Charles convinces her to instead take in a teenage Jewish refugee from Germany named Hedy. After she arrives, Hedy and Gertie struggle to get along as they each struggle with their respective loss. As tensions mount on the continent and war looms on the horizon they slowly come to an accord. Together they continue to run the bookstore as war is declared and the blitz begins. Determined to stay positive and keep spirits up in their neighborhood they start an air raid book club. Whenever people take shelter in the bookstore they discuss the most recent club selection as a way to pass time. In doing so they provide a temporary escape in trying times but they also help foster stronger connections within their community as they and numerous others end up making some rather surprising friendships. However, nothing can prevent them from also having to face the reality and loss of war.
This book was sad because it dealt with a lot of pretty sad topics which I am not going to deny but it does so pretty well. I say tha because it doesn’t hide what is going on around the characters but instead does its best to show how people continue living despite the adverse circumstances. When they have to stop the book club because people are reluctant to go out due to the bombs they find an alternative way to continue. I find myself admiring the lengths people will go to in these types of circumstances. Something that I rather enjoyed about the story is how realistic it feels when it describes the community coming together and sticking it out despite everything. In fact, that last reason is also why I would describe it as heartwarming. The characters are genuinely nice people faced with horrible circumstances and yet they still attempt to live their lives the best they can. They still come together for the small things like a day on the beach or a dinner party even as they strategize about their way to make their ration coupons go further. It also is about friendship and family, specifically found family, as they each come to realize just how much the people around them mean to them. The story may focus on Gertie and Hedy but it also tells the story of their whole community and the people that inhabit it. While the story was pretty good I did have a few minor problems. The one I had the most issue with is the slight lack of time scale. I don’t think the story did a good job of explaining how far apart events were from each other. While it did occasionally mention events relating to the war to give some idea there was still little indication overall so I ended up confused about that rather frequently. It was still good though so I am giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Considering this is a work of historical fiction I assume that it would probably hold the most appeal for readers who prefer that genre, especially those who enjoy reading about WWII or the blitz. While it may appeal to others I also assume that appeal would be limited. Due to the time period being covered this book also deals with some potentially heavy topics though there is little that is overly graphic or explicit. I would recommend this book primarily to older readers but it could be read by readers as young as fourteen with little difficulty. Feel free to try it and share your thoughts in the comments if you do.