Not To Be Forgiven

by Nancy Peterson

It's 1942. The world's at war, and even small-town America is awash in fear. . .and hatred. Sis Greggory's beloved brother, Danny, is serving in North Africa. The war news is bad; the Axis powers seem invincible. Where is Danny? They can only wonder. Sis lives and breathes civilian war drives, trying to keep him safe. Before it is over, the lives of Sis, Danny, and Horst, a German prisoner of war, are forever changed. Not to be Forgiven is a fictive rendering of what happens to one family in a small town in Nebraska when German POWs are shipped in to help with the harvest. It’s the story of how one little girl deals with WWII, how she befriends a POW, and what happens to that friendship when her beloved brother returns from the war a victim of combat fatigue. Thematically, it explores the significance of hate fuelled by war propaganda, and how the child must learn to live with the horrific memory of what she caused. The novel asks but never who is most in need of forgiveness? Not to be Forgiven is at once a nostalgic rendering of a child's patriotism and a hard-hitting portrayal of the deep, ugly emotions war engenders. It will make you laugh, and it will shock you to your core.

279 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2013

Reviews

[Tom Durkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story takes place in a small town Western Nebraska during WWII. It involves a POW camp and a young girl whose brother is serving in the army. She and a German POW become “friends” when they rescue an injured bird. She is very conflicted to reconcile this person with the horrible events happening overseas. The return of her injured brother brings her to a boiling point that leads her to exact revenge. The repercussions of which she must then deal with.