Never Forget You
England, 1937.
Gwen, Noor, Dodo and Vera are four very different teenage girls, with something in common. Their parents are all abroad, leaving them in their English boarding school, where they soon form an intense friendship. The four friends think that no matter what, they will always have each other. Then the war comes.
The girls find themselves flung to different corners of the war, from the flying planes in the Air Transport Auxiliary to going undercover in the French Resistance. Each journey brings danger and uncertainty as each of them wonders if they can make it through – and what will be left of the world. But at the same time, this is what shows them who they really are – and against this impossible backdrop, they find new connections and the possibility of love.
Will the four friends ever see each other again? And when the war is over, who will be left to tell the story?
‘Coram Boy’ is one of my all-time favourite novels. A poignant, compelling story rich in engaging characters, it is hard to beat, but with ‘Never Forget You’, Jamila Gavin has produced another breath-taking novel, which also has its roots in true events, in this case by the real-life resistance hero, Noor Inayat Khan.
The four girls in the story- Noor, Gwen, Dodo and Vera- are very different personalities with very different backgrounds. Although events affecting each girl are explored, the majority of the narrative is told from Gwen’s perspective and it is around her that the girls’ friendship revolves. Through their stories, the reader is afforded glimpses of events across Europe as tensions between Germany and England mount. The rise of the Nazis, their mounting persecution and abuse of Jews and the horrors that followed are not shied away from. The book also highlights the role of Nazi sympathisers in British society and government- Dodo’s own parents are great admirers of Hitler -as well as the work of the resistance in Paris. Jamila Gavin seamlessly weaves all the strands together as she tells each girls’ story against this background.
As the girls each become involved in the war effort, they follow different paths and become embroiled in intrigue, danger and espionage. Their bond of friendship remains constant throughout as they pass in and out of each others lives and there are both moments of great happiness and deep poignancy in the story. I shed many tears!
Jamila Gavin wrote this extraordinary book as a tribute to Noor Inayat Khan, who was a British resistance agent in France. The outcome for Noor was predetermined, but the skill with which her experiences have been woven together with those of the other, imaginary, characters has created a compelling story of love, loyalty, duty and friendship. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Never Forget You Jamila Gavin
Farshore ISBN: 978-0755503346
You can read more about The Foundling Museum, setting for ‘Coram Boy’ here.
