Difficult but worthwhile, a rollercoaster of a book that celebrates courage and sacrifice in the face of unspeakable evil.
My rating: ★★★★☆
Where to begin? I couldn’t stop reading this book, because I had to know what happened before I went to bed. I had to stop reading this book, because I was afraid of what might come next and it was too late at night for me to deal with it. It’s a rollercoaster, this book. Serious, grim, sobering in one moment, almost tongue-in-cheek in the next. That juxtaposition of gravity and levity makes this feel real. It’s the kind of topsy-turviness one would feel when all has been safe and avoidable for so long, and suddenly unspeakable evil is on one’s very doorstep. It’s an unsettling feeling, one that has lingered with me.
Dunkirk in full color
This is what we have in The Maggie Bright, with the German army poised to invade England. I love Groot’s way with words, and I’ve always loved the story of Dunkirk. But this book brings all the tension of it into full color through several points of view.
Jamie, the British private trying to get a wounded soldier to Dunkirk, only to discover that after Dunkirk there’s nowhere left to go.
Murray, the Brooklyn cartoonist who feels and imagines so vividly that he cannot stand to face the truth of Germany’s crimes.
Claire, the yacht owner with grand dreams of circumnavigating the world even though she’s just barely learning to sail.
William, the hard and angry British inspector who has one of the world’s best reasons for that hardness and anger.
And of course, a full cast of supporting characters who each showcase a bit of real life and how we respond to it. There were a couple of characters in particular whose stories did not end the way I wanted them to. The story lives and breathes through each person, and I dreaded seeing anything happen to any of them.
Because, you see, I’ve read Tracy Groot’s The Sentinels of Andersonville. I knew she would not shy away from things happening to her characters.
Hard things happen here
There is a bit of language. It’s mostly British swearing not considered profanity in the US; some readers may want to be aware of that. On a different note, one or two historical inaccuracies bothered me—particularly that characters reference a more recent version of the Bible even though the author admits that version had not been published yet.
Those are not my main caveats, however. Tracy Groot writes about hard things, and I expected that. I did not quite expect just how hard some of those things would be. In some cases, they crossed the line for me. Vivid descriptions of dead civilians and other gruesome violence are the primary reasons I hesitate to recommend this book for all readers.
I know war is horrifying. I know men and women saw unspeakable things. I know all of it is historically accurate. But there were some scenes I had to skim, because there are certain things I don’t want in my mind any more than those men and women did. I have the choice to not have those things in my mind. They didn’t have that choice, and I honor them for their strength.
Is this Christian fiction?
This is “a step in the right direction” fiction. Characters learn the power of prayer and come to believe in God, mostly through the influence of Mrs. Shrewsbury (who incidentally is quite a riot). There’s really no mention of Christ himself. There are some references to the idea that mankind is basically good and something rotten has gotten inside of us. Which, of course, is biblically true in the context of the fall and original sin, but I’m not sure that’s how it was meant. Some characters come to the conclusion that they have faced great evil and discovered something good inside themselves that resisted that evil, and that gives them relief because it means they’re still okay.
Though published by a nominally Christian publisher, I wouldn’t classify this as explicitly Christian in any way. But a book that so thoroughly shows courage, self-sacrifice, and the effect of prayer does accurately reflect part of God’s character and reminds me of the horrific things others have lived through and stood against for the sake of what was right and good and defenseless. That is a story worth remembering.
Should you read The Maggie Bright?
I honestly don’t know. This book is not for every reader. It is graphic at times and could cause some readers to struggle. It is also jarringly well written, although one or two things ended too abruptly for me. Even in that abruptness, though, it reflects reality. We don’t always get reasons or resolutions for every question, not in this life. But if you are prepared to grapple with the question of evil and have your heart knocked about and find yourself praying for characters even as you skim past the graphic details of what they’re experiencing, this may be just the kind of thought-provoking book that will stick with you long after you read it.
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If you enjoyed this book review of The Maggie Bright by Tracy Groot, you might also enjoy my book review of The Sentinels of Andersonville by the same author. Read the review here or join my newsletter list for book recommendations, a free short story, author updates, and more.
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Happy reading!
Jayna Baas is the author of Preacher on the Run and director of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. Learn more about Jayna here or join her email list for more recommendations.