I saved The Blackout Book Club for my Christmas list, and am so glad I did. Amy Lynn Green has written another hit in the pantheon of World War II fiction, and once again, she has put her own twist on it in a subtle, quiet way I was not expecting.
The fairly large cast and especially shifting POVs take a few chapters to get used to. But once you do, which again doesn't take long, every cast member becomes a great friend. I loved spending time with Avis, Louise, Ginny, and Martina. I want to give Amy particular kudos for having each woman represent a certain generation or walk of life--Louise the older and "traditional" grande dame lady, Avis the child-free "ideal" wife, Ginny the young college-age girl who fits none of the associated stereotypes, and Martina the young mom. And as I've noted, even within those parameters, every book club member is delightfully different from what readers might expect. Everyone has something more going on beneath the surface, from Louise's relationship with her father and the library, to Martina's troubled marriage (not for the reasons you'd think), to Avis' desire for kids.
The secondary characters pop, as well. They don't all get plot threads, but they all get the page time they need to make readers feel like citizens and friends of Derby, watching their neighbors adjust to WWII and experiencing it with them. I particularly enjoyed Freddy and Gio, partly because they did get full plot threads, but more because those threads went in directions I didn't expect. The Blackout Book Club is not a thriller, or even suspenseful in the traditional sense. But several times, especially with Gio and Freddy, and sometimes with the main characters, I found myself saying, "Whoa, okay, where'd that come from? Nice work!"
The library functions almost as a character in itself, as all good settings do. Moreover, it's a three-dimensional character, meaning it's "benevolent" to some, "malevolent" to others. That's not easy to pull off, but Amy did. That is, the library is a refuge in the uncertainty and fear of war, as it should be. But sometimes, as in Louise's situation, it reads as malevolent, or at least unpleasant. This happens for Avis too, and even Martina a bit, especially near the end. But even in its most unpleasant moments, the library and book club are environments I wanted to keep coming back to. I enjoyed reading everybody's discussion notes and seeing which books would be chosen next. I also appreciated that not only fiction was chosen; the book club also uses nonfiction, poetry, and children's picture books. Real book clubs could take a tip or two.
Finally, like the best books, The Blackout Book Club is full of scenes that "pop." My absolute favorite came at the end, where the book club stands up for Martina. The person menacing her asks Freddy, what is he, her lover, and he basically says, "No, we're worse, we're her friends, so quit messing with her." I just about came out of my chair. That's authentic friendship, and authentic love, platonic, romantic, whatever. Even the best authors have trouble encapsulating that in one or two lines. Beyond that, look for:
-Louise going to the library to find the books on her father's list (I kind of wanted the book club to choose books based on criteria like that)
-Martina using stories to explain their situation to her kids (she was my favorite character/thread if you didn't notice :)
-The whole book club showing up for Ginny in her lowest moment
-The whole platonic/unexpectedly and subtly romantic (maybe)? relationship between Freddy and Ginny
-The nods to the Hooligan's Navy and smuggling activities (those little pieces of WWII history that don't get a lot of attention, but Amy is a pro at finding and sprinkling in. It's kind of her trademark by now).
If I were being picky, I'd call The Blackout Book Club a 4.5, just because I wanted more of some threads and less of others (for instance, I debated whether we needed Louise's entire life story, and I wanted more of Avis and Ginny as people, more distinct from their families). But what exists works so well, I'm not going to split hairs. Overall, The Blackout Book Club was a great novel with which to "turn out the lights" on 2022 and start my reviews for 2023. Grab a copy and savor for yourself--or maybe share it with some fellow book-lovers. If you haven't read Amy Lynn Green's other offerings, do that, too. Once again, this novel left me eager for more from her.
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From the Publisher
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| Things We Didn't Say | The Lines Between Us | The Blackout Book Club | |
| WWII US Home Front | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Romance Plot Thread | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Military Hero/Heroine | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Small Town Setting | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Books about Books | ✓ | ||
| Epistolary | ✓ | ||
| Intrigue Element | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Based on Real History | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Friendships between Women | ✓ | ||
| Strong Female Protagonist | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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A book about a book club in WWII? Yes, please!
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2022
A salute to the power of books and of friendship! Not only does the writing sparkle with Amy Lynn Green’s trademark wit, but the characters become your dear friends, slowly exposing the hurts and secrets that have shaped them. Come to The Blackout Book Club for the fun—stay for the depth.
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2022
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