Under a Broken Sky: An Untold Love Story from the Darkest Days of WWII

The Hellenic Collection #8

by Dougie McHale

In wartime Corfu, two hearts defy the odds.

Corfu, 1943

As the Nazis drag Jews from their homes in the dead of night, Rosa knows time is running out. Her father clings to the hope that they will be spared, even as whispers of deportation grow louder. When he demands Rosa end her relationship with Alvertos, a Greek Christian and the love of her life, she is forced to make an impossible choice.

Disowned and disgraced, Rosa faces an uncertain future—one that may mean she will never see her family again.

As the violence escalates, Rosa and Alvertos secretly marry, forging a bond that defies the hatred around them. But staying in Corfu means certain death. Forced to flee to the mountains, they face tragedies that could tear them apart forever.

Edinburgh, 2002

Rosa thought she could bury the past, but the scars of war never fade. When an invitation arrives for the unveiling of a memorial in Corfu, she is forced to confront what she has kept hidden for fifty years—devastating memories of love and loss.

Under a Broken Sky is an emotional tale of courage, love, and resilience in the face of an unimaginable darkness. Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah, Fiona Valpy, and Victoria Hislop.
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Praise for The Hellenic

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I stayed up until 2AM finishing Under a Broken Sky.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Great characterization, I felt at times I was there - a real page turner.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Heartbreaking, but painted a picture of Jews in Corfu that I was not aware of.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ It is gritty, heart wrenching and beautiful. The best book that I have read this year.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I needed a tissue one or two times.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Dougie, you really brought the characters to life and I couldn’t wait to read more.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, World War II, Amazon

325 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2024

About the author

In a past life, I’ve been a dockyard worker, student, musician, and song writer. Writing has always been in my blood and bone, from my musical days of writing lyrics and now my novels.

My books encapsulate themes such as love, loss, hope, coming of age and the uncovering of secrets. They are character-driven stories set against the backdrop of Edinburgh and Greece.

I never intended to, but seemingly, I write women’s contemporary fiction and since 95% of my readers are women, I suppose that’s a good fit.

I identify with a physical place and the feeling of belonging; both are prominent in my writing.

I want my novels to have a sense of time and place, drawing the reader into the social and cultural complexities of the characters. I want my characters to speak from the page, where the reader can identify with them, their hopes, fears, conflicts, loves and emotions. I hope the characters become like real people, where the reader wants to know what is going to happen to the characters, where is their life taking them in the story.

The common denominator is, I want my novels to be about what it means to be human through our relationship with our world, our environment and with each other. Most of all, I want them to be good stories that the reader can connect with and enjoy.

Visit me at my website and sign up for the occasional update about new releases and book promotions. www.dougiemchale.com

Like me at Dougie @facebook.com/www.dougiemchale

Reviews

[Amylynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome

I love ww2books about the jews in hiding and the resistance, this book was more about love. It was a good book tho. Rosa was strong n because of the nazis lost many loved ones.

[Shofstet]

While the subject matter was interesting, I had a difficult time going from the horror of the Nazi removal of Jews in Corfu to a rather sugar-coated ending. Perhaps I have read too many WWII books lately but this one juxtaposed love with cruelty and then love again, which made both extremes seem borrowed and extreme.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure...I am a big fan of this author's WW II historical novels set in Corfu. Most World War II novels are set in Western Europe but Greece has its own brutal Nazi occupation and Holocaust story to tell. This latest book differs from the others. It isn't about British agents who worked with the Greek Resistance but focuses on the Jewish community of Corfu. Two things stood out to me in this story. The first was how normal life was for the Jewish main character, Rosa, before the German occupation. She had fallen in love with a Christian young man and her father was apoplectic over the relationship. (Most of us can relate to that situation.) The second was the incredible generosity and bravery of the Greek villagers who sheltered Jews who had escaped deportation in Corfu Town. Knowing they faced certain death by the Nazis if discovered, they willingly opened their homes to strangers. Many paid for it with their lives. I devoured this book, unwilling to put it aside as my soul was battered. I should have made sure that I had plenty of tissues...I didn't. This is another outstanding book from Dougie McHale and I highly recommend it.

[Dean McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

UNDER A BROKEN SKY: AN UNTOLD LOVE STORY FROM THE DARKEST DAYS OF WWII by Dougie McHale -- A duel timeline tale of love and tragedy between 1943 and 2002. Rosa is a young Jewish Greek woman living in Corfu. WWII is raging in Europe, the Nazis are killing and persecuting Jews and Greeks, and the war is coming ever closer to Corfu. Rosa falls in love with Alvertos, a Greek Christian and she must choose between obeying her father's command to give up Alvertos and remain true to her Jewish culture and family. Rosa chooses to disobey, secretly marries Alvertos, and leaves her family. Her father believes the Allies are coming soon and the Nazis will retreat, but the persecution, killing, and deportation of Jews to the camps and death chambers increases. Rosa's family is taken and she lives with Alvertos's family, eventually escaping to the forest to hide and finally to Italy. Their lives are tragic and Alvertos and his family are killed. In 2002, Rosa is an old woman living in Edinburgh, often visited and cared for by her granddaughter. They travel back to Corfu when invited to the unveiling of a memorial to Corfu's Jews lost in the war and holocaust. It is a difficult time for Rosa, remembering the suffering, but also a time of courage, love, and healing. Fascinating history, strong characters, well told.

[Elena J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under a Broken Sky by Dougie McHale is a sweeping, soul-stirring tale of forbidden love and impossible courage, set against one of history’s darkest hours.

In 1943 Corfu, as Nazi forces tighten their grip and Jewish families vanish into the night, Rosa and Alvertos fight to keep their love alive a bond defying faith, fear, and fate itself. Torn between loyalty to family and the call of her heart, Rosa’s choice ignites a journey of exile, loss, and survival that echoes through generations.

McHale writes with cinematic clarity and emotional precision. Every page feels textured from the scent of the Ionian Sea to the dread of midnight knocks on the door. Beneath the harrowing realism lies a story of hope that refuses to die, even under a broken sky.

Moving between wartime Corfu and modern-day Edinburgh, the novel explores memory, trauma, and redemption with quiet grace. Fans of The Nightingale, The Island, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will find themselves spellbound by McHale’s ability to illuminate humanity in its darkest hour.

Under a Broken Sky is not just a love story it’s a testament to endurance, reminding us that even in history’s most shattered moments, love can still choose to rise.

[Kathleen McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Mesmerizing Read


This dual timeline historical fiction introduces the reader to Rosa, an elderly woman living in Scotland who receives an invitation to return to Corfu as a tribute to honor those who lived through the German Occupation in 1944. She hesitates, as she has not returned since that frightening time, but changes her mind since she can bring her granddaughter.
I was hooked from the first chapter. Rosa became real to me as her story unfolded, and I was drawn in by the lush scenery, the heart wrenching fear of German captivity and deportation, the love story of a young Jewish woman and Christian man, and the choices that lead to heartbreak.
I didn’t want this book to end but I couldn’t stop reading. The author is new to me, yet I’ll be following up with more of his stories. Well done, Mr. McHale.

[Linda Rodeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rounded up to 3 stars. The premise of the story was decent -- looking back about 50 years to her time on Corfu, the main character returns to the island and shares her story with her granddaughter. The sacrifice, love, fear, etc. all around the life of being Jewish during WWII and the impending invasion by the Nazis. While I always appreciate a new perspective of this -- in this case, I wasn't aware that there were Jews in Greece/Corfu and didn't realize the Nazi's reach had extended so far. However, the writing of this book seemed a bit stiff -- the dialogue seemed like the speaker was "monologuing" quite often. Like the author was trying to get information or emotions across to the reader, but it was done in an unnatural, clunky way. There really wasn't any new twist to the story that I haven't read dozens of times (except the setting).

[John A Broughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the biggest events can become more real by focusing on relationships

Some people may think that reading fiction about the holocaust is ridiculous when there are so many survivors accounts available to read. However, very few survivors exist to tell the truth of what happened on Corfu so therefore a well written novel can help traders gain an invite into this horrendous period of history Double McHale writes with compassion and care and focused on the personal relationships rather than the big picture. How many of us did get to see beyond our own grandparents are and relationship to ourselves and actually find out who they really were and what life experiences formed them. This book offers a love story set amongst horror and a chance to consider our own family stories

[Suzi Stembridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complex book which demands the reader’s attention. The author must have put in phenomenal amount of research to achieve this story of horror, emotion and love. At the centre of this book is Jewish culture woven into Greek culture and the location of Corfu and which I think will surprise many readers that the island was so central to the tragedy of the German occupation during WW2. On a couple of occasions I found some confusion between the names of Albert and Alvertos and whilst this might be my misunderstanding it is why I have withheld the fifth star which I would have liked to have awarded to this incredible story.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intense and amazing story !


For the author, Dougie McHale:
I believe there was an editing mistake however….
on page 38 was this sentence: ‘In Edinburgh. Alvertos and I have lived there since, well, since we left Corfu.
That couldn’t have been Alvertos since he died before the war ended. Towards the end of the war while he and Rosa were hiding on Erikoussa he was shot and killed by a German soldier. . It wasn’t until after the war when Rosa returned to Edinburgh that she met Ella’s grandfather.

[Paul Willcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific!

I really enjoyed this WW2 novel about the German occupation of Corfu. I’ve read many books with similar themes depicting the harrowing oppression experienced in various countries during this time. But this author really brought it to life with his characters & in spite of the horror there was also love. An important book!

[Savannah Dorris · Rating 1 out of 5]

The storyline in this book was interesting enough, but the prose is unnatural & cringeworthy at times. At the end of the book, the main character talks to her deceased husband and recounts details of the Holocaust, which felt like an exceedingly rudimentary way of sharing information with the reader.

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This book has something with everything in it. The characters were so good. I felt like the book was complete when I reached the end. Now I’m wanting to read many more of the author’s books. I would happily be an advanced reader. It was a tough subject that is so well done, and the characters came to life on the pages.

[Sharon Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well done book. It was well researched. I never knew the story of the Greek people during the holocaust. I liked reading the book, although the subject matter was hard to read at times. I followed the author for going into such detail with this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

so very sad

Man’s inhumanity to man is no secret, but the Nazi inhumanity to Jews and others was horrific. I never knew about the multitude of Greek Jews who were among those who died both at home and in camps. In following Rosa’s life, we see the atrocities that happened in Greece. I am sorry/not sorry I read this outstanding story of one woman who survived.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75. This was a good but simplistic book about a woman and her experiences in WWII. She lived in Corfu Greece and was a Greek Jew. The book describes her experiences with her boyfriend and family and how they were affected by the war. It also shared her current life as well. The book was a little repetitive but I wanted to know what happened in the story.

[Carey Mundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in a day and it captured my heart. It is a story of Rosa, a Jewish woman who falls in love with Alvertos, a Christian man, on the island of Corfu in the middle of WWII. Expecting a baby, they marry but face difficulties as the Germans start to round up the Jewish population. It’s a story of love and hope and despair, very moving and well written.

[Catherine Writes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read

Ένα καλογραμμένο ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα που πρέπει οπωσδήποτε να διαβάσει καποιος. Η πλοκή, οι περιγραφές, ένιωθα σαν να βρίσκομαι μαζί με τους χαρακτήρες, μπορούσα να νιώσω την αγάπη, την αγωνία, τον φόβο, τον πόνο του καθενός. Απλά υπέροχο.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corfu WWII

I found this story interesting because it took place in Greece during WWII. Again I’m so surprised just how many countries were affected by this demonic dictator. Just when I think I have heard it all, stories like what is in this book leave me dumbfounded.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but…

I enjoyed the setting in Greece of a Jewish community during the Nazi/WWII but this book didn’t grab me quite as much as I wanted. A little slow to start and gradually it gained momentum.
I recommend this book if you are interested in this time period and subject.

[Karen Lawler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Under the Broken Sky by Dougie McHale. I writing is fairly simple but still very interesting. I had not read anything about how Corfu Greece was affected especially the Jewish people there. The story is about Rosa a grandmother living in Scotland but is invited to return to Corfu for a celebration of Jews that lived there and were still alive. Her family has no idea what she lived through. I enjoyed this book and the characters but mostly the history the author told. I recommend those who like Historical Fiction.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific read - I learned more about this period in history than I ever learned in school. The love story was so real! Exposing buried secrets is often the most difficult moral decision and at what cost?

[Cherop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another heart wrenching tale of Jews trying to hide from Germans during WW2. In this case, the story is set in Greece. I think it's the first time I've read a story of Jews living in Greece during such horrific times.

[Barbara Esaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and full of history that's not often highlighted as the destruction of the Jews in Greece is often overlooked.

[Jean Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read!

The characters were great, and I really enjoyed the book!
It is about an untold live story from the darkest days of WW
II !

[Donna Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read! I had never known about this history of Greece and the Jews in World War Two.

[sheila m · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story that needs to be told

'Life can only be lived forwards when it’s understood backwards, and that’s my gift to you.’

I enjoyed this book so much.

[Pamela Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching read

I am very grateful to have had the utmost pleasure in reading this book. Very enlightening about a very sad time in this era. Thank you for a MUST READ.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely outstanding. Highly recommend.