Review: After Midnight by Robert Ryan

Title: After Midnight

Author: Robert Ryan

Publication Year: 2005

Genre: Historical Fiction/WW2

Links: Goodreads | Amazon (Paperback) | Amazon (Kindle)

In 1944, a Liberator bomber pilot never returns from a mission to Domodossola in Northern Italy. The aircraft and its pilot are seemingly lost for ever.

In 1964, his daughter, Lindy Carr, resolves to find out what happened to her father on that terrible night. She employs the help of motorcycle TT racer Jack Kirby, a man who has his own inner demons to combat. He was a Mosquito fighter pilot during the War and experienced at first hand the astonishing courage of the Italian partisans in the face of Nazi brutality. Jack is keen to find one of the partisans, a woman with a past as dark as the secrets she still holds close to her heart.

My two cents: Robert Ryan is officially one of my favourite authors. If I was impressed with 'The Last Sunrise', this one totally makes him one of my favourites. The book opens with a letter from a pilot posted in Italy to his soon-to-be one-year-old daughter (which was based on an actual letter), written right before he went MIA. Twenty years later, desperate to find out what really happened to her father, Lindy Carr hired Jack Kirby and his one aircraft airline. Soon, Jack Kirby was transported back to the years he spent with the Italian partisans and the role he might have had in the missing of Lindy's father and his Liberator.

I've read plenty of books with Italy as the settings but nothing captures me like this one. The WW2, as fought in Italy and the involvement of partisans in the war are not something I'm familiar with and in the beginning, I had quite a hard time following the events described. I guess a little bit of before hand knowledge would make for a smoother read. 

What I like the most about this book is that the story works at every level, be it the story of Jack's involvement with the partisans during the war, Lindy's search of her father or Jack's post-war life. The building of the pace is neither too slow nor too fast which is just right for my reading. The blurb suggests that this  centred around the missing Liberator and Lindy's search. It's true in a way but the missing Liberator itself is the key to many other unfolding events. The way Ryan intertwined the past (1944) and the present (1964) to build a complete picture is amazing, to say the least. I was totally hooked and I brought this book with me everywhere. The twist was unexpected, especially the one with Lindy and Jack's old love, Francesca.

Jack Kirby is complex. A man with his own demons to combat and the scars that war leave in him, I can't help but feel sorry for him and I keep wishing for things to turn better for him. But, the book is not all dark despite the theme and the story. It's written in a lighthearted way and the dialogs brought smiles to my face on many occasions. My only complain is that this story is quite short (only 300+ pages). The author ended it beautifully, in the wee hours of the dawn. The title might suggest at the darkest hour of the day, that is after midnight before the dawn. After all, the darkest hour is always just before the dawn and did Jack Kirby manage to go through it. 

One of Ryan's many strengths is to create believable settings no matter what the year is and this could only be achieved by extensive research. Though this one leans more towards fiction, the atmosphere portrayed stays close to how one might imagine war and its aftermath are like. If there is one thing that I learned, it is that wars leave scars in everyone and in war, nothing is too personal as people do many things out of desperation and the instinct to survive prevails for most of the times. All in all, an amazing read. 

My verdict: 4.5/5

Challenges: Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2011, Historical de Tour Genre Reading Challenge 2011

Review: The Last Sunrise by Robert Ryan

Title: The Last Sunrise

Author: Robert Ryan

Publication Year: 2006

Genre: Historical Fiction/WW2

1948: INDO-CHINA: Lee Crane is an American pilot flying transport planes across South-East Asia for the highest bidder. He'll fly anywhere, carry anything, if the money is right. But his experiences during World War Two still haunt him, and when he meets a woman from the past, memories of a time when his innocence was shattered threaten to ground him.

1941: BURMA: Crane is a young and carefree pilot flying fighter planes for the notorious Flying Tigers against the Japanese. He's one of the best pilots in the air. But when he falls for the charms of a beautiful Anglo-Indian girl, she has a devastating effect on him. As the war ignites across the region, Crane is separated from her, and, caught up in a world of death and corruption, he desperately needs to return to find his lover, no matter what the cost.

My two cents: I was surprised by this novel. It is no doubt that the writer had put a lot of efforts and extensive research in writing it. The Last Sunrise follows the story of Lee Crane, a young pilot in American Volunteer Group (AVG). Posted in Burma for training, he met Kitten Mahindra, an Anglo-Indian woman who took him as her lover. But tragedy struck and they were separated. The book then follows Lee for the next few years as he tried to survive the life as a pilot and to find Kitten.

The book opens in 1948 Singapore where our hero was preparing himself to leave South East Asia. A blast from the past stopped him and he was caught in a scheme he wanted no part in. I won't tell much, but let's just say...it's an Italian job during WW2, with planes and Himalayan ranges. The author managed to write a beautiful novel with vivid description of China-Burma-India as seen from the air and during the WW2. The story is told interchangeably between the present (1948 in this book) and the past (1941-1944). The present is told in first person's POV (Lee Crane) while the past is told in third person's POV.

For me, this novel works at every level. I can feel the longing and the pain in Lee when he lost Kitten, whom he thought he loved. And the air combat scenes were beautifully written. I could feel the tension and the suspense reading 'em. Also, I have to say that I'm very pleased that the author included a few Malay words in the novel. I might be bias since I'm a Malay but it's apparent from the setting that our hero would pick up a few local words. It felt so surreal, reading about Singapore in 1948 and a few references made to Malaya since I never really wanted to imagine how they must had been like back then.

All in all, the book pleases me. It was a smooth read. Throughout the novel, I couldn't help but wonder what does the title refer to. I found out the answer at the end of the novel. It left me wanting more of Lee Crane and his adventures, as well as what could have been. I could certainly feel the desperation the war brought. I formed a quick opinion on Elsa, as a woman who was clouded by her greed. But, there are always two sides to a story. At the end of the novel, I didn't really know what to think of her, just like Lee couldn't form a concrete opinion on her. I was, however, hoping the author included more of Lee and Kitten's times together. Anyway, it's still a beautiful read. And now I can't wait to get my hands on 'Dying Day', which picked up a certain story from where it left in this novel.

Note: I read the acknowledgment section and was surprised to find out that the backgrounds of most characters are influenced by real persons who fought the war.

My verdict: 4/5

Review: Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers

Title: Postcards from No Man's Land

Author: Aidan Chambers
Publication Year: 1999
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction

Jacon's plan is to go to Amsterdam to honor his grandfather who died during WW2. He expects to go, set flowers on his grandfather's tombstone, and explore the city. But nothing goes as planned. Jacob is not prepared for love - or to face question about his sexuality. Most of all, he is not prepared to hear what Geertrui, the woman who nursed his grandfather during the war, has to say about their relationship. Geertrui had always been known as Jacob's grandfather's kind and generous nurse. But it seems that in the midst of terrible danger, Geertrui and Jacob's grandfather's time together blossomed into something more than a girl caring for a wounded soldier.

My two cents: This novel is about two stories, one is that of the young Jacob in the present day Amsterdam (well, in 1995) and another of Geertrui in the war-stricken Oostorbeek in 1944. These two stories, separated by 50 years in time, are told interchangeably between chapters.

I'll be honest. For the first few chapters, it wasn't an easy read. It was rather confusing, all over the place and left me trying to figure out the connection between one sentence to another. But it was purposely written in that way...and as the book progressed, I found it became easier and easier to relate each character to the main stories. Life in time of war is told from Geertrui's perspective and it wasn't easy reading all she had to go through during the war. Somehow, it makes me realise how lucky I am to live somewhere where war is just a history. As for the modern day Amsterdam, it is told from the perspective of a visiting English teenager who is yet to discover himself. It shows us the cultures and customs of Dutch as well as an English boy's perspective on the city and its people.

Originally, I picked up this book because I wanted to read something about love during WW2. And, was I disappointed? I'd have to say, not at all. There is love, self-discovery and sacrifice all in one book...in both stories of young Jacob and of young Geetrui. Though, if I had to choose between the two, I loved Geertrui's story a bit more. Her story was truly tragic yet beautiful. Her love for soldier Jacob and how she dealt with losing the people she loved to war are the aspects that touched me the most.

And I have to say, there's a lot of history in this book, from WW2 and its famous Anne Frank to Rembrandt to the history of the two families featured. Also, the book is full of philosophical quotes about life and memories. All in all, the author managed to intertwine the lives of two main characters, Jacob Todd and Geertrui in a very beautiful, clever and awesome sort of way.

At the back cover of the book, it is written "...teens may remember not only that they read it, but also where and when they read it." This is particularly true in my case. I still remember that I read most of this book while I was sitting in the food court of Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre waiting for WCOA session for that particular day to end.

My words would never be enough to describe this book. Just go and pick it up whenever you have time. I believe it won't be a disappointment.

A few of my favourite quotes:

"You have to know your own truth and stick to it. And never despair. Never give up. There's always hope."

"Here is memory. For me now there is only memory. Memory and pain. All life is memory. Pain is of now, forgotten as soon as gone. But memory lives. And grows. And changes too."

"Events separate people quite as much as time and distance. What has happened to one in the absence of the other makes foreigners of them."

There are more but I can't seem to locate them now. Don't blame me for being too lazy to go through each chapter, it is 3.30 in the morning.

Note: According to the author, this book is a part of 'The Dance Sequence' which consisted of 6 books. But, it can be read as standalone.

My verdict: 5/5