WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT BY DONNA JONES ALWARD

I learnt so much from this excellent novel set in Canada during the First World War; I had never heard of the devastating explosion in the harbour at Halifax which flattened part of the town and killed thousands. But as the inciting incident for the book, it worked perfectly.

We meet two women; Charlotte who’s basically a drudge for her late husband’s in-laws, and Nora, a highly motivated army nurse at a local hospital. When it was clear Nora was going to fall pregnant just as her boyfriend went overseas I let out an inward groan, but her story panned out so differently to how I expected it was a very satisfying read. And the characterisation surrounding her narrative was so well done I was completely invested in it and found the book hard to put down.

I didn’t feel quite the same about Charlotte, and I think in a way the prologue spoilt her part of the book for me and my one small criticism is that I felt it was unnecessary. But ultimately the women’s two stories needed each other and the whole novel wound together really well.

I thoroughly recommend this superbly researched and beautifully written novel.