The Note Through The Wire by Doug Gold

 Based on a true story. Against all odds, WWII brings two people from two corners of the world. They both have the same mission to defy the Germans. She passes a note to him through the wire of the compound as she is searching for her brother. He can’t forget this young lady disguised as an elderly woman.

Slovenia (part of former Yugoslavia), 1942. Bruce Murray is a prisoner of war at Stalag camp on the outskirts of Maribor. Through a barbed wire, he receives a note from a woman. A note written in a language he doesn’t understand.

Maribor, 1942. Josefine Lobnik carries a package of documents from one partisan group to another when she encounters Bruce at Stalag camp. Recently, her brother was captured by Germans and now she searches for him. She passes a note to a stranger at a camp asking if her brother is there.

Both stories go back in time and interestingly reveal backgrounds of both characters.

Through his story, we get a more frivolous approach to war, at first. With his two best friends, they leave New Zealand eager to experience the world, the more exotic places and women. The journey takes them from their homeland to Cairo where they roam the streets and get the taste of a very different culture, then Greece where they get the first test of a battle.

Through her story we get to experience a more serious side of the war. Her country is invaded by German forces. Her people want to preserve their identity. They don’t want everything German being shoved down their throats. Her people join the resistance forces. Some get captured and tortured. And for some no matter how long the torture lasts, the spirit doesn’t get broken. It gets even stronger as torture only amplifies their resistance.

It was interesting to read about prisoners of war who at a camp where separated depending on what part of the world they came from. Eastern Europeans were treated the worst, with the pettiest rations of food and the most abusive treatment.

With crisp prose, moving the story fast, we get a true feeling of many places and the time period, from the streets of Cairo filled with fun through Maribor’s policy of “reGermanization” and tensions between ethnic groups to Greece revealing the spirit of its people, their resilience and resistance.

With depth, we get to experience an extraordinary story of two ordinary people, the challenges they face and what fuels them to take such risks. Vividly depicted dangerous work of the partisans – the superheroes.

This is one of the best WWII stories I've ever read. Brilliantly wrought story capturing the trauma of war, the love forged against all odds, the prose peppered with humor despite the sad subject of war.

Release date: ebook 10/13/20, paperback 1/16/20, 3/16/21

Source: Custom House Books; William Morrow Paperbacks