The Silent Canary by Angela Bricker

 

Summary (from the publisher): Casting light onto the once hidden tragedy of the 1918 Chilwell, England ammunition factory explosion, The Silent Canary tells of the catastrophic incident that resulted in the largest loss of life from a single accidental explosion during World War I.

But what if the explosion wasn’t an accident?

War pacifist Poppy Pemburton celebrates her twenty-third birthday on the front steps of the Chilwell, England ammunition factory with her favorite anti-war sign and her well-loved marching boots. War tears families apart and Poppy will certainly not allow it anywhere near the only family she has left. But when Poppy's dearest friend, Luca, answers the Great War's call to enlist, Poppy is willing to set aside her morals and join forces with the yellow-skinned Chilwell munition workers, known as canary girls, to bring Luca home safe. Because the only thing worse than the possibility of Luca dying in war, is Luca dying without knowing Poppy loves him.

German spy Jakob Kirtchner is sent to England with one chance left to prove himself. Jakob's infiltrate the Chilwell ammunition factory by any means necessary. New employee Poppy Pemburton proves the perfect means. Germany will win the Great War. If Poppy falls with England, so be it. He just can't fall with her. Or for her.

Exploring the human need to cling to hope, love and family during times of tumultuous upheaval, The Silent Canary, stretches our understanding of what it means to find bravery in the depths of our darkest moments, and forgiveness despite our deepest fears.

Based on a true story and inspired by real people, The Silent Canary, by debut novelist Angela Bricker, is perfect for fans of Kelly Rimmer’s The Things We Cannot Say, and Mark Sullivan’s Beneath a Scarlet Sky, and for all women and men who refuse to allow truth to be silenced.

Review: This debut novel follows redheaded Poppy Pemburton who finds herself working at the Chilwell, England ammunition factory to support the war effort, as WWI rages in the background. Poppy grew up close friends with Luca, an Italian orphan that has been raised by his cruel aunt who took him in after his parents died. With both Luca and her father away in the war, Poppy devotes herself to the war effort. But little do Poppy and Luca know that their town has been infiltrated by a German spy, who has been given the mission of infiltrating the ammunition factory. 

This novel was absolutely heart-wrenching! The novel cycles through Poppy, Luca, and the German Jakob's perspectives. This novel is a true testament to the tenacity of hope and love through the most trying of circumstances and the ravages of war. One aspect I really appreciated about this book is how the characters grow over time. Early in the book, both Poppy and Luca, who are both proud and independent types, are forced to accept help from their much younger friends. While both initially see themselves as their friend's protectors, the roles are reversed. Luca's friend saves his life and Poppy's friend saves her job. There was a pleasing symmetry to this, as both characters find themselves humbled and must accept that friendship extends both ways. This sense of growth in the characters continues throughout. In particular, Luca's expectations and understanding of himself and what is capable of is stretched to the limit by the end of the book.

This book also features a very unusual love triangle and made me consider what it means to love a deeply flawed person. Poppy is manipulated by Jakob, who she is unaware is a spy masquerading as an American. I liked that Bricker chose to have chapters from German spy Jakob's perspective. Although in many ways he is literally the villain, he is a very gray character in that he does have redeeming qualities as well. There are multiple examples of this complexity of characters in this book. In addition to Jakob, Luca's aunt and Poppy's father are also deeply flawed characters who yet are not all bad. 

One of my favorite parts about reading historical fiction is learning something new through a fictional lens. Poppy's character introduced me to what it meant to work in an early ammunition factory. I enjoyed learning more about historical ammunition explosions and the way they were covered up in the news at the time to boost morale and keep the location of the factories covered up: "On the occasion that something was printed in the papers, the numbers of deaths and injuries was always minimized and only a general location of the factory was provided" (350). I have read so many historical fiction and actual histories over the years and yet this was my first time learning about the process of making the ammunition. It was wild to read that women working in the factories had to tolerate their skin turning yellow, abdominal pain, and other adverse side effects to do their job! 

A huge thank you to author Angela Bricker for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

Stars: 4.5