The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society –Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
An epistolary novel is one in which the narrative is
conveyed entirely by an exchange of letters. The epistolary method is brought
to life once in a while, and had its probable beginnings in the 18th
century (eg: Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa
and Pamela) but these kind of novels which aim to limit
the perspective of the story in every letter that is exchanged isn’t quite
common. And there also remains the fact that it has to keep one entertained.
Could reading an exchange of letters be entertaining or even remotely interesting?
It definitely is a resounding yes if you are to pick up this book.
Narrated in the form of exchange of letters through the
period of one year (1946) with Juliet Ashton who is a writer and living in London,
receives a letter from Dawsey Adams from Guernsey (it’s an island in the
English Channel) who happens to get her
address from an old book of hers which he bought during a sale. Thus begins an
exchange of letters from one book loving soul to another.
As we get to know more about Dawsey and the inhabitants of Guernsey,
we come to know of a very interesting society which lends its name to the book’s
title. It has quite a lot of members and was first conceived as an excuse to
eat roast pig during the German occupation of the islands during the wartime. The
islanders were given strict rations and every live pig was accounted for. So
keeping a pig hidden and then making a fine dinner out of it would have landed
its ‘members’ in jail. So began the intriguing society and a literary one at
that, to cover up for that one time they all had met to eat a roast pig. If
that is hilarious, there are plenty more in the book. (I am not going to
explain the second half of the title though, some mysteries are to be sustained
till you read the book of course :) )
All the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel
Society correspond with Juliet and she with them. There is also her also her
correspondence with her publisher and friend Sidney and his sister, Sophie, who
are all part of this heart-warming tale of a group of people who love reading
and who found a way to bring love and meaning to their lives amidst wartime
atrocities.
"At the start we tried to be calm and objective, but that soon fell away, and the purpose of the speakers was to goad the listeners into wanting to read the books themselves. Once two members had read the same book, they could argue, which was our great delight. We read books, talked books, argued over books, and became dearer and dearer to one another. Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became bright, lively times - we could almost forget, now an then, the darkness outside." (from Amelia's letter to Juliet)
"At the start we tried to be calm and objective, but that soon fell away, and the purpose of the speakers was to goad the listeners into wanting to read the books themselves. Once two members had read the same book, they could argue, which was our great delight. We read books, talked books, argued over books, and became dearer and dearer to one another. Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became bright, lively times - we could almost forget, now an then, the darkness outside." (from Amelia's letter to Juliet)
Besides being warm and funny, the characters and lovable
personalities of the islanders shine through in their correspondences and make
us wish that we too could belong to a society as close-knit as they are. The
story behind the authorship is also worth knowing. Mary Ann Shaffer was
fascinated by her random visit to Guernsey that she used all she knew about the
island and its history to begin writing this novel. However, she fell quite ill
at a critical moment. As the book was nearing completion, she asked her niece
Ann Barrows to step in and complete it for her. This is a memorable book in
more ways than one.
If you have ever loved receiving or writing a letter by
hand, pick this one up. If you have never had the pleasure to experience any of
that , pick this one up, it will urge you to try writing a letter at least once
in your lifetime.
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