(no subject)

[skygiants]

A twitter thread begun by zenaldehyde asking for cozy wartime children's book recommendations reminded me that I had The War That Saved My Life out from the library, and proceeded to gulp it down in a day, so apparently I'm experiencing the same effect that Zen did.

The War That Saved My Life begins when ten-year-old Ada manages to get herself evacuated off to the country with her little brother Jamie at the beginning of WWII -- despite the fact that their abusive mother doesn't let Ada out of the apartment because she's ashamed of Ada's bad foot, and indeed does not know that Ada can (with great difficulty) walk independently at all.

Ada and Jamie end up billeted in Kent with Susan Smith, a depressed lesbian who's been too busy mourning the loss of her partner several years ago to notice the war happening. Susan never wanted children, Jamie doesn't want to be there, and Ada has enormous difficulty trusting an adult with anything whatsoever, but nonetheless of course they eventually end up slowly forming a family unit.

The book offers a similar kind of satisfaction as turn-of-the-century neglected-child-makes-good narratives like The Secret Garden -- the kids get enough to eat and fill out! Susan sews them nice new clothes! Ada gets effective mobility aids and befriends a pony! -- but with (what seems to me like) a much better understanding of disability, trauma and the fact that a better environment doesn't necessarily make for a smooth trajectory towards happiness, even with a pony. Ada spends much of her time furious at Susan for daring to provide and not be permanent; the new dress that Ada gets for Christmas sets off a panic attack as bad as the one she gets when they have to go into the air-raid shelter; Susan still has regular periods where she can't muster the energy to get off the couch. They can't fix those things for each other, but nonetheless having each other makes the rough things, both internal and external, easier to get through. My heart was warmed! In, like, a real way, not a 'someone played the right sort of music in the background so fine' sort of way.

(As you all know, I am very far from an expert on disability in kidlit, but if anybody has plot questions about the book's portrayal of Ada's twisted foot and PTSD, Susan's depression, or their mother's abuse, I will answer to the best of my ability.)

Comments

[conuly]

The author herself suffers from complex PTSD related to childhood abuse, which I felt gave the story a whole lot of realism. I actually have been baffled at how so many people call this a book about a girl with a clubfoot (who was abused) when it's really about a girl with complex PTSD (who happens to have a clubfoot).

You'll want to read the sequel as well. I don't like it quite as much, but I've still re-read it several times.

[skygiants]

I didn't know that! You're right, the portrayal of Ada's PTSD feels really direct and clear-eyed

That's good to know about the sequel, I was wondering if it could be as good!

[aquamirage]

As you all know, I am very far from an expert on disability in kidlit,

Wow can you believe you know someone who has 2/3rds of a master's degree in precisely that thing

[skygiants]

You are, indeed, my go-to expert! (If you happen to have read this book, I would very much welcome thoughts.)

[aquamirage]

I haven't but I definitely will, Tris put it on a list of books she thinks I should read like two years ago........

[skygiants]

good because I want your thoughts!!! I think Tris is correct that you should read it and I think you will like it, but either way I await your expert opinion

[sovay]

They can't fix those things for each other, but nonetheless having each other makes the rough things, both internal and external, easier to get through.

That is a nice thing to have a book be about.

[skygiants]

It was a surprisingly soothing book to read!

[cyphomandra]

I liked this a lot - like a gender-swapped Goodnight Mr Tom with lesbians. I agree that the sequel is not as good but it’s still worth reading. And I need to check out that twitter thread...

[skygiants]

I'd actually never heard of Goodnight Mr. Tom until Zen mentioned it, and then looked it up and was astonished to see how similar the plot sounded!

[cyphomandra]

Mr Tom does have adult pov rather than child, but yeah. We had it read to us at school, which I totally recommend if you ever need a whole class full of sobbing ten year olds (as school books go it’s only beaten out by Weirdstone of Brisingamen when I was nine, which still fills me with suffocating claustrophobia whenever I even think about the cave scene).

Michelle Magorian’s books are great - I also like Back Home and the acting one, I think Cuckoo in the Nest?

[conuly]

Cuckoo in the Nest is just one of several acting ones centered on the same family.

[tree_and_leaf]

Oh gosh, yes, we all wept buckets.

[qian]

You haven't read Goodnight Mr Tom?! Becca, read it!!! I was obsessed with it as a kid and it does hold up.

[skygiants]

Apparently now is the time if ever there was one! :O

[sovay]

like a gender-swapped Goodnight Mr Tom with lesbians.

I thought of this from the plot summary also.

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, I was thinking it sounded like a (very interesting and worthwhile!) variant on "Goodnight, Mr Tom".

[obopolsk]

I have had a very hard time pinpointing what I am in the mood to read lately (I'm basically just switching back and forth between mystery novels and romances, because apparently I can only concentrate on things that are that inherently propulsive), and I'm not sure this is something I want to read right now, but it's definitely something I want to read at some point.

[skygiants]

Yeah, I was glad I had this out from the library which made it an easy next and also the Right Thing, but now I'm sort of staring at my piles like 'ok what ... now ......?' Anyway, I hope you enjoy it when you read it!

[isilya]

Thank you very much for this recommendation, I read both books yesterday and they were an excellent diversion.

[brainwane]

Thank you for this recommendation! Borrowing now and looking forward to reading it.