Reunited after a 6 year separation during WWII, this Polish couple are virtual strangers who have each been thru terrible things. Set in England.

posted Sep 20, 2011 at 3:34PM

Meet the Nowaks—Silvana, Janusz and their son Aurek—who have come to live at 22 Britannia Road in Ipswich, England after WWII. Earlier this winter I read Ben Shephard’s The Long Road Home: The Aftermath of the Second World War. Hodgkinson’s literary debut about displaced Silvana and Aurek who come from Poland to England to join RAF veteran Janusz is probably a more true-to-life tale than we know. Such heartbreak, such secrets. I won’t forget these characters—survivors in the truest sense—soon. A masterful novel of finding ‘home.’

posted Apr 10, 2012 at 3:40PM

**** 1/2 stars. Marvelous! A Polish family desperately tries to put itself back together after WWII. Silvana and their infant son, Aurek, leave Poland and disappear into the forests of Eastern Europe, where they bear witness to German atrocities. Meanwhile Janusz, the sole survivor of his slaughtered military unit, flees to France. He eventually ends up in England where after the war he begins searching for a family that may not even be alive. They are found and Janusz brings his wife and the child to Ipswich, to the small house and garden that give the novel its title. Having been separated for more than 5 years of war, each has secrets and lies. Is there hope for 3 people who need each other desperately? Great first novel!! Highly recommend!!

posted Mar 30, 2013 at 7:06PM

 Add a Comment