EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN

Luke Thompson delivers a fine and nuanced narration of Chris Cleave’s moving new novel, which is set in London during the Blitz and on the battlefield amid the shocks of WWII. At its heart a love story inspired by Cleave’s grandparents, the book focuses on two friends and the woman with whom they both fall in love. One character goes to war; the other two remain in London as teachers to the city’s forgotten disabled and children of color. Thompson draws telling vocal portraits of the three very different protagonists; does nice sketches of lesser characters, including an American black child and his father; and paces his delivery perfectly for a story that shuttles between peace and desperation. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2016]