*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.
Title: The Letter Reader
Author: Jan Casey
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★
She read their secrets during the war. Now she cannot forget them...
1941. London. Keen to do her bit in the war, Connie Allinson joins the WRNS and is posted as a letter censor. Her task: to read and alter correspondence to ensure no sensitive information crosses enemy lines. At first, she is not sure she's up to it, but is soon drawn in by the letters she reads, and their secrets...
1967. Doncaster. Bored of her domestic life, Connie desperately wants a job, but her controlling husband Arthur won't hear of it. Looking for an escape, and plagued by memories of letters she read during the war, she makes a bid for freedom and starts secretly tracking down their authors. Will uncovering their past give Connie the key to her present? And will she be able to find them all before Arthur discovers what she is keeping from him?
The Letter Reader is the latest historical fiction work from author Jan Casey. The story is told through a dual timeline narrative, flitting between Connie’s experiences as a letter censor in 1941 and her life with husband Arthur in 1967. It is an easy and enjoyable read which isn’t as hard-hitting as other historical fiction works due to the slightly more reserved subject matter but still has powerful and emotional elements.
The focus on Connie’s work censoring letters during the war was fascinating and an area of Second World War history I knew little about. It was clearly very well researched by Jan Casey which made the story feel authentic to the time period. I really loved all of the supporting characters introduced within this timeline and could have read a whole book solely focused on their experiences as letter censors.
It did take me a little while to warm to Connie as a protagonist for a reason I can’t quite put my finger on but I gradually saw her for the compelling and strong character that she was. I really enjoyed her character development and seeing her grow as a person as she reclaimed her identity as more than just a housewife. It was also lovely to slowly see her start to explore more of the culture of the 1960s outside of the more traditional and dated lifestyle she had been living with Arthur. We also get a powerful exploration of the grief Connie experiences following the loss of her mother and the grief she experiences as a result of infertility preventing her and Arthur becoming parents.
Arthur’s controlling nature and sexist ideas were very well written. Looking at his traditional ideas surrounding gender roles through a 21st century lens meant that I at times found his treatment of his poor wife utterly infuriating but I enjoyed seeing his gradual character development over the course of the novel.
This novel does take a slower pace and the build up to Connie choosing to break free from Arthur’s control and start tracking down the authors of the letters did feel unnecessarily lengthy. But the pace did pick up from the point that Connie goes down to London and that final third of the story was more enjoyable a read, ultimately increasing the book’s star rating for me. When reflecting post-read I can understand more why Jan Casey might have chosen to make the earlier chapters slower-paced as it’s more reflective of the time it might take a woman such as Connie to gradually build the courage to break free from a controlling spouse.
Overall, The Letter Reader is an enjoyable and easy historical fiction read ideal for anyone interested in the 1960s as a time period alongside the Second World War. It was my first experience of Jan Casey’s writing but I look forward to catching up on her other works.
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