The shadow of war looms large over the rural English village of Eagley as Freddie the postboy is tasked with delivering news from the battlefields of France. They call him the angel of death.

Freddie is befriended by Suhani Harkness, an Indian woman living in an isolated manor house where she tends to wounded soldiers from the trenches. Persuading Freddie to become the scribe to a soldier who cannot write, he finds new purpose in his work.

But the grim reality of his job weighs down ever more heavily, until the telegram he has most feared arrives from the front – news of the death of one of Suhani’s sons.

Set against the backdrop of one of the deadliest conflicts in history, this novel is a poignant and powerful exploration of the human cost of war for those left behind, and the enduring impact of grief and guilt.

My Thoughts:

Freddie is a postboy in 1916 and he is the one to deliver news from the Battlefields where many men are serving in the War. When he meets Suhani on one of his rounds he realises she is living alone, but she is a worker and she looks after the soldiers who have been injured. His job becomes increasingly difficult as he has to give a telegram to someone who means a lot to him. It is the most unbearable thing he has to do but it is his job after all. I thought the plot sounded unique and something I felt as though I didn’t know much about before reading this book. It is a thought provoker as it makes you think what it was like in those days. It is a well put together and researched story that I will remember for a long time.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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