All We Left Behind

Their love could not be broken.

This is a story of friendship, war and a forbidden love which cannot be broken. The time is the beginning of WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The setting is an isle on the coast of Canada.

Hayden and Chidori grew up together. They played together as children, became close friends as teens and fell in love as young adults. Now they are looking at college, but WWII comes along. Chidori is Japanese American and Hayden is Canadian. They start getting disapproving message from their parents and from some people in the community. There is talk of internment camps for Japanese Americans that live on the coast of Canada. No one can break the two up.

Hayden goes to war to fight to end the war. He asks Chidori to wait for him and they both agree to wait for each other. Hayden's plane is shot down and he is captured and taken to a Nazi POW camp. The story tells of his time spent in the POW camp . He never receives a letter from Chidori and his mother never talks about her in the letters she sends. He keeps Chidori's picture with him at the camp. His friends help him as he has horrible nightmares every night. He is beaten, starved, and becomes depresses, but manages to hold on for Chidori. His story at the camp is very sad but the friendship with his fellow POW's is amazing.

When he is liberated at the camp by the Russian's he returns home and finds that Chidori's family is no longer there and has been forced to leave. He is heartbroken and becomes very depressed. He searches and writes letters and tries to find where Chidori and her family have gone. When he has almost destroyed himself with alcohol and depression his mother confesses that Chidori wrote him and she kept the letters from him because she thought it was for the best. He reads the letters and goes to find Chidori.

Does he find Chidori and do they get back together? Well you will have to read the book to find out. It is a great read and you will not be disappointed. I recommend the book I enjoyed it and I am sure you will as well.

Thanks to Danielle R. Graham, Harper Collins One More Chapter, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book.

A story crying out to be told to all Canadians about the terrible injustices we meted out to innocent Japanese Canadians. To help us understand the story it begins with the love of two young people caught up in this time when a surge of hatred and fear engulfed our western shores. From 1942-45 the caucasian boy and Japanese girl suffer. She from internment and he as a POW. A well written historical fiction with true events. A dark time of shame on Canada.

Growing up in Canada, the Second World War seemed so far away to Chidori and Hayden. As children, they were only vaguely aware of heritage with Chidori being a Japanese Canadian. That didn’t matter to them one bit. They became best friends and over time, friendship turned to love. Their bond was one that could not be broken even when the attack on Pearl Harbor that changed everything.

Suddenly, Chidori and her family were interned in a camp for ‘enemies of the state’ and Hayden rose to the occasion by joining the military to fight for what was right. They promised to wait for each other no matter what and make their dream of a future together a reality once the war ended.

When Hayden is shot down during a dog fight over Italy; then captured and turned over to the Germans...his love for Chidori and their promise to each other kept him going. When things went from bad to worse...he held on to hope that one day...he’d return and they’d be together.

This book is gripping from start to finish. For starters, I was not aware that Canada also interned Japanese Canadians after the attacks on Pearl Harbor so I got a bit of a history lesson there. The author goes on to give a more detailed timeline of this internment and the aftermath in the authors notes so be sure to read those.

It also shows the effects of war from multiple perspectives...family at home, POWs, Japanese Canadians, those who didn’t serve in the military. It’s definitely an emotionally charged book which I personally love.

This is definitely a weekend read because once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down. It showcases how deep the bonds of love and friendship can go as well as a type of sadness only those who’ve experienced war would understand. It has a little bit of everything! A must read for WWII fiction fans!

All We Left Behind was an amazing story that will stick with me for a while. This was historic fiction done right. I feel that Danielle R. Graham really did her research before writing this book.
I look forward to reading more from Danielle!