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By Rory J. Bolivar and Robespierre L. Bolivar
August 2021 marks the 76th anniversary of the end of World War II. For the last five years at least, and especially in the lead-up to the 75th anniversary last year, a plethora of fiction and non-fiction books on World War II were published. Many of them dealt with the politics of the war and the horrors it inflicted on societies and individuals alike.
Amidst all these books, Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2019 edition, Bloomsbury) provides a sublime story of how a shared love of books can bring people together, enabling them to withstand the tribulations of the war.
This historical fiction novel is endearing. Much like watching the new Netflix original movie based on the book, which stars Downton Abbey alums Lily James, Jessica Brown Findlay, Matthew Goode, and Penelope Wilton, reading the novel is like rediscovering old friendships or finding that place you want to visit over and over again.
Set largely in the aftermath of World War II on the Channel Islands, a British dependency off the coast of France, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society employs the epistolary style to great effect and advantage. It allows us to follow the story by reading the characters’ letters to each other instead of hearing it narrated from the point of view of just one person. As such, we are treated to a complete, unbiased, and definitely more intimate view of how their relationships develop.
Schaffer and Barrows succeed in creating authentic and sympathetic voices for each of the characters in the book. London-based writer Juliet Ashton’s correspondence is confident and witty. On the other hand, the letters from Dawsey Adams, Isola Pribby, Amelia Maugery, and other Guernsey locals are humbler but brim with the wisdom born of experience.
Their charming epistolary interplay allows us to develop a deep empathy for Juliet and the quirky, extremely likable Guernsey locals who make up the eponymous Literary Society. We empathize with their struggles to overcome individual and communal tribulations wrought by the German Occupation of their island. We marvel at the power of their spirit as they eke out a life from the rubble of war.
Each subsequent letter holds increasingly personal disclosures. By the latter half of the novel, the characters become vulnerable and open to each other, perhaps hoping that they might find the emotional healing that they are desperately seeking.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a comforting and edifying story that everyone should read at least once.
This novel is a paean to the lost art of letter writing. It takes us back to an arguably more romantic time when people used pen and stationery to relate personal anecdotes and communicate thoughts and emotions.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is also a reminder that reading books can soothe the soul in times of crises. Books can entertain us and make us laugh. They can take us, even if momentarily, to various amazing places and allow our minds to be refreshed. Books can inspire, educate, and captivate.
Reading opens up for us a wider community of authors, book sellers, and fellow readers. It provides an excellent starting point for us to have meaningful conversations, not just about books, but about life in general. Along the way, we may form rewarding and enduring friendships built on our shared interests.
And through the magic of reading, we can better appreciate that we are human and that we live in a colorful world full of stories we can discover and enjoy together.
About the authors:
Rory J. Bolivar is a registered microbiologist, educator, and writer. Robespierre L. Bolivar is a recipient of the Gawad Mabini, one of the highest Presidential honors bestowed upon Filipino diplomats.