My Soul, A Shining Tree

Based on the true story of Indian WWI gunner and recipient of the Victoria Cross, Khudadad Khan, ‘My Soul, A Shining Tree’ is told from different perspectives. Lotte is a Belgian farmgirl whose home is a small farm in the village of Gheluvet, near Ypres in Flanders. Her life shatters when first, her father enlists, and then her mother and uncle are killed when the family tries to escape the Germans. Left alone with her sister, Els, and Michael, a former classmate, the children struggle to survive. Ernst, the grandson of one of her mother’s friends, becomes a German cavalry soldier, joining up whilst underage and facing untold horrors on the battlefield. Khudadad Khan is a gunner fighting with the British Army, lured by false promises as much as a desire to do the ‘right’ thing. The three key figures come together one fateful night under the branches of the olive tree near Lotte’s house which shelters them all.

Jamila Gavin is an outstanding storyteller. ‘Coram Boy’ is a book which I will never forget and the more recent ‘Never Forget You’, which also draws on a true story, is incredibly powerful. In ‘My Soul, A Shining Tree’, she has written a deeply poignant book, focusing on the human stories of war.

The harsh realities of war are not avoided and there are some deeply upsetting passages, reflecting the futility and devastation of conflict. Lotte, Els and Michael become refuges, Ernst has no choice but to return to the battlefield despite being traumatised by his experiences whilst Khudadad Khan, after valiantly holding the ridge at Gheluvet whilst those around him fell, was declared unfit for battle and sent to a hospital in England. The olive tree- a shining tree- is there throughout, watching these three very different victims of war as they try to survive.

Throughout, Jamila Gavin’s beautiful, almost poetic, use of language shines through and the use of the tree, inspired by a line from Sassoon’s poem, ‘Tree and Sky’ offers a sense of continuity and calm through the chaos and carnage of war. The story is full of historic detail, seamlessly woven through the action, enriching knowledge and understanding of these events. Such a powerful and emotive book is a must read.

My Soul, A Shining Tree

Jamila Gavin

Farshore ISBN: 978-0008617189

You can read my review of ‘Never Forget You’ here.

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.