This book has taken me ages to read, not because it wasn't good, but I've just been so busy lately, I miss having time to just chill out with a book for a few hours. It was a decent read, but isn't to my personal taste, I think it would suit a more mature reader perhaps, as I found it a little tedious at times.
It is about a couple of childhood sweethearts, Rosa and Emilio, who are separated during WWII when Emilio is stationed on the island of Orkney where he becomes a POW. Desperate for something to occupy his time, Emilio sets about building a chapel with his friends on the island, from laying the foundations to painting the pictures inside, it is all done with their hard work and determination.
Meanwhile back in Italy, Rosa is being drawn into the war, when the man she works for reveals himself as a resistor, and persuades her to harbour refugees in the hotel she runs with her mother. She also encounters Pietro, a old childhood friend, who makes her question her loyalty to Emilio when she falls for him. The story ends with a little flash-forward to the present day, where a journalist is interviewing Rosa, Emilio and their friend Bertoldo for their war experiences.
One of the things I loved about this novel is the fact that the chapel mentioned is actually a real place on Orkney. It is interesting that the author took inspiration for her writing from a landmark, as this is a technique I have had to use in my own creative writing.
McKenzie uses some lovely figurative language throughout the book that has different effects on what is being said. In some instances it really adds visuals to what you are reading for example:
'He loved to be left alone in the quiet of the small ante-room, with the mushroom smell of wood and the vinegar tang of the pigment pastes. In the coolness of that space all of his senses were alive. He could hear everything. The mice scraping their feet on the floor, the dusty clap of pigeon wings in the roof. The light footsteps before the small hands gripped the back of his shoulders.'
Whilst on other occasions it creates more sensory awareness:
'They attacked the flesh with their fingers, sliding it from the bone in pink meaty chunks, sticky with the burnt syrup taste of the skin.'
And sometimes it shows the true harshness of the situation, and the difficulty Rosa has in coping with being alone during the war, looking after her elderly mother:
''It just doesn't seem like something that will end. It's like a pendulum. Being pushed backwards and forwards. But it'll never stop unless both sides stop pushing.''
I'll be passing this book on to my mum and grandma, as I think it is exactly their cup of tea. I don't think it is the sort of book my friends would read, as it is a little depressing, and quite long. But give it a go if you can get hold of it, it is a well written novel that is worth a flick through.
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