espionage, passion, and betrayal

I picked up Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal from the library recently. I like reading about World War II. Generally, I stick to stories of the Holocaust when picking my WWII books. However, I was browsing through the library and saw this one. The cover intrigued me, as did the blurb they released. Here is what they give you for this book:


In the terrible "Hunger Winter" of 1944, two undercover operatives parachute into Nazi-occupied Holland. They are spies for the Allied forces, sent to provide support for the Dutch resistance movement. 


Half a century later, a fifteen-year-old girl named Tamar inherits a box from her grandfather containing a series of clues and coded messages. Out of the past, another Tamar emerges - a man involved in the terrifying world of resistance fighters - and she is his namesake. His story is a complex one of passionate love, jealousy, and tragedy set against the daily fear and casual horror of the Second World War. Unraveling it will transform Tamar's life. 


Mal Peet's Carnegie Medal-winning masterpiece is a story of violence and resistance, love and deception, loyalty and betrayal. 


Intrigued yet? Actually, I think that this description is a little lacking. It gives you a bit of a misrepresentation of how the book goes. Tamar never actually finds out most of what happens while her grandfather was in Holland. Besides, this description does no kind of justice for the book itself.

It is woven into a mystery novel with so many twists, you could almost believe that Peet took lessons from Ted Dekker. He doesn't simplify the story. Our heroes aren't perfect, polished Allied men who never mess up. The Nazis that we encounter, while still abominable, are mostly lazy bums who got a somewhat quiet post. They're lax in their security. Mostly.

However, this story is in no way cheery. It is one of the most depressing things to read. It rivals truthful accounts of the Holocaust in its tone. However, it isn't atrocities that makes the reader sit on the edge of their seat and wonder what will happen.

It is the constant fear and worry of being discovered. These men are members of the Allied forces. One pretended to be a farmer, the other a doctor. The wireless operator, referred to as a WO, is constantly on the edge of his seat and fueled only by drugs and terror. The drugs keep the boredom at bay.

When you're a spy deep in enemy territory, you can't afford to be bored. You lose vigilance. Lost vigilance could cost you the entire operation. Peet portrays this all beautifully.

I can't say much more about the story without spoiling it. However, it is a masterfully written tale that captures well the image of what World War II was in occupied Holland. This book could easily be a companion to your copy of The Diary of Anne Frank in your library. Anne Frank was a Jew hiding in Amsterdam who died in Bergen-Belson in 1945, mere months before the liberation. Tamar, though not covering the same span of time, links the past with the present as a granddaughter tries to understand the box her grandfather left her. He escaped Holland in the spring of 1945 as well, not long before the liberation of Holland.

If you like Ted Dekker, Judy Picoult, mystery, World War II, or novels about betrayal, espionage, love, resistance against a great foe, or attempts to learn about a mysterious figure, you should definitely read this book. Two thumbs up.

-enna