Book Review Tuesday: War on the Margins

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book based around the occupation of the Channel Islands during World War 2. At the time I remarked that this was a subject that wasn’t widely written about – it was the first book I had ever come across – so it was quite a surprise to hear about War on the Margins, another that covers the occupation.

War on the Margins by Libby Cone started life as a thesis, however, the author has reworked it into novel form. The book is set on Jersey during WW2, so in a sense works as a prequel to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The story revolves around the characters of Marlene Zimmer, a young town hall clerk with Jewish ancestry, who finds herself in the terrible position of having to comply with Nazi edicts to register all Jews on the island, while at the same time knowing she may very soon come under scrutiny herself. Eventually, fearing betrayal, Marlene goes into hiding before being taken in and protected by resistance activists, Lucy Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe, otherwise known as surrealist artists and writers, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore.

As the story progresses, we learn more about the work of Cahun and Moore and other resistance workers, as Marlene assists them in their attempts to spread misinformation and dissatisfaction among the German soldiers, often at great personal risk. We also get an insight into the terrible suffering of political prisoners brought to the islands as slave labour through the character of Peter, a young Polish man who is captured after fighting in the Spanish Civil War.

War on the Margins is a fast and quite gripping read, and Cone effectively mixes the narrative with contemporary documents such as: edicts from the occupying forces, and letters sent by the ‘real life’ characters. It was a very brave step to include the latter in the book, and I was  concerned about how they would be depicted; often real people in novels come across as either flat and unconvincing, or are treated too sympathetically. That wasn’t the case here, although Cahun and Moore are portrayed with kindness, they also seem very human and well rounded.

The fictional characters are beautifully drawn, and Marlene is believable as the shy secretary who initially joins the resistance almost by default, but who quickly learns to live on her wits. It is laudable that Cone did not make Marlene a paragon of virtue; as the novel progresses we discover she is susceptible to the influences of fear and paranoia sweeping the islands, as a result of which she makes a terrible error of judgement.

Secondary characters provide a good supporting cast, and their stories are interesting and often heartbreaking. I particularly liked Mrs Richardson whose dubious origins make her the subject of Nazi suspicions, but who escapes their attentions with great style. We also see how some islanders take advantage of the new regime to further their own agendas. Conversely, the Germans are not depicted as universally evil, with some having sympathy for or even siding with the locals, while others become disillusioned with the actions and ethos of their government.

Despite the grim subject matter, there is a great deal of humour in War on the Margins – admittedly some is very dark – which helps to lighten the mood. The attention to detail and use of language help to create an credible vision of 1940’s Jersey, and was so authentically British I didn’t realise Libby Cone was American until I read the fly-jacket at the end of the novel.

Any criticisms? The novel could have been longer; I would like to have read more about the day-to-day life of Marlene, Lucy and Suzanne, and also about Peter’s experiences before he encounters Marlene. However, overall, War on the Margins is a well researched and fascinating insight into both a very dark chapter in our recent history, and also the incredible bravery of ordinary men and women.