In a world increasingly reliant on instant communication via texting, e-mail, or Skype, the art of the letter is becoming obsolete. Despite decreasing use today, letters remain a treasured part of our past. While a division of the publishing industry is dedicated to printing written exchanges between historical figures such as Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, it is hard to imagine that e-mails will have the same longevity. In "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society," the authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows team up to create a story that is revealed entirely through the exchange of letters.
The novel takes place in the wake of World War II. The protagonist, Juliet, is an author who is contacted by Dawsey, a survivor of a German occupation of Guernsey Island. She strikes up a friendly correspondence with him, and as she learns more about him and his friends on the island, the number of people with whom she communicates increases.
She learns that when the German troops occupied the island, they imposed harsh restrictions on the residents and corralled the best food for themselves. There are stories of the inhabitatns that detail how their bravery and cleverness allowed them to resist the brutal hands of their oppressors.
One of the Guernsian methods of evasion included the creation of a literary group, called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Each member of the society would read a different novel and presented his or her understanding of it to the rest of the group.
Juliet eventually meets all the members of the society through mail, and decides to travel to Guernsey to meet them.
A fine web of detail is spun around each of the novel's characters. Juliet is independent, smart and warm. Dawsey is steady and cautious. Elizabeth, the heroine of the novel, is entirely created through the words of others, because she is taken prisoner by the Nazis. Juliet begins writing a book about Guernsey centered around the story of Elizabeth's bravery. As Juliet's visit to the isle lengthens, she develops a deep connection with her daughter and with the other inhabitants of the isle.
A love story is related in the novel, with the usual pitfalls and triumphs, though there is something a little superficial in the telling of that story. Its delivery is sincere but all the characters feel somewhat unreal; it is difficult to imagine them outside of the book. This might be a symptom of the novel's structure, as it is difficult to create real people in letters. But I do not think that is the case. Rather, I think the authors chose to approach the subject in a straightforward, less investigatory manner.
"Potato Peel Society" is an easy read. The story runs rapidly along and the reader is engaged by each person's quirks and country charm. I knew nothing about the German occupation of Guernsey, or the existence of the isle for that matter. The authors do a fine job of illuminating a piece of history that might otherwise find its way between the floorboards. The book serves as a perfect diversion on the trip home for a Thanksgiving turkey. You will count your blessings that you are not forced to subsist on rotting vegetables and the occasional dog. Though it may not serve as the centerpiece of lively dinner conversation, it will provide entertainment during the holiday of comfort food.