Come From Away

Come From Away is a backlist title of one of my favourite authors, Genevieve Graham. It is the follow-up to her earlier book Tides of Honour and has a gorgeous new cover! 

I enjoyed catching up with the Baker family who we first met in Tides of Honour. While this book could be read as a standalone, I recommend reading ToH first, so you understand the relationships and past struggles of the family.

Set in eastern Canada during WWII, the story is told by the dual perspectives of Grace Baker and Rudi, a German officer. I loved that the story was inspired by a real-life event in Canadian history when German U-boat officers sneaked into a dance in Nova Scotia. Readers witness the effects of the war on the families back at home and are also given perspectives of Canadian and German soldiers.

Genevieve Graham, once again, gives her readers a heartwarming, lighter family drama that includes interesting bits of Canadian history. There is a romance and some melodrama, and while I thought Tides of Honour was a bit stronger of a read, Come From Away was an enjoyable story set within the beautiful backdrop of eastern Canada and the tumultuous years of WWII.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Genevieve Graham

Genre: Historical Fiction, Canadian

Type and Source: Trade Paperback provided by author

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada

First Published: 2018

Book Description from GoodReads: In the fall of 1939, Grace Baker’s three brothers, sharp and proud in their uniforms, board Canadian ships headed for a faraway war. Grace stays behind, tending to the homefront and the general store that helps keep her small Nova Scotian community running. The war, everyone says, will be over before it starts. But three years later, the fighting rages on and rumours swirl about “wolf packs” of German U-Boats lurking in the deep waters along the shores of East Jeddore, a stone’s throw from Grace’s window. As the harsh realities of war come closer to home, Grace buries herself in her work at the store.

Then, one day, a handsome stranger ventures into the store. He claims to be a trapper come from away, and as Grace gets to know him, she becomes enamoured by his gentle smile and thoughtful ways. But after a several weeks, she discovers that Rudi, her mysterious visitor, is not the lonely outsider he appears to be, but someone else entirely—someone not to be trusted. When a shocking truth about her family forces Grace to question everything she has so strongly believed, she realizes that she and Rudi have more in common than she had thought. And if Grace is to have a chance at love, she must not only choose a side, but take a stand.