"Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Do you ever notice those books others talk about but you haven’t yet read? You think to yourself that you must read it when you get the chance, but you don’t get to it right away because you forget/you have other books you want to read first/life happens. That was the case for me with this book, and I’m so glad I finally took the time to read it.

Code Name Verity (May 15, 2012) by Elizabeth Wein.

There is truth and there is “truth.” The story begins with Verity, an at-first nameless wireless operator. She’s a petite and pretty gal, captured in Nazi-occupied France because of an oversight on her part. Such a small thing, but so large in the big picture. Her bones haven’t been broken, but her captors have tried to break her all the same. She’s given them information, and the other prisoners think she’s a traitor. Now she’s writing down her story to prolong her life. Julie, who has gone by other names and is formally Lady Julia Lindsay MacKenzie Wallace Beaufort-Stuart, can be quite cheeky despite her dire situation. Surely it gets her in trouble and most definitely makes for nasty interrogations, but she will have her say. She will write and write until she can’t and when that time comes, she’ll know that “I have told the truth. I have told the truth.”

            Part 2 centers on Kittyhawk, who’s actually Margaret “Maddie” Brodatt. She is a pilot during a war that didn’t have many women pilots. Her interest blooms after she witnesses an aircraft crash. In fact, when she sees it, she applauds. This is done without thinking about the pilot and any physical harm that might’ve come upon the pilot. When they reach the aircraft, they discover that the pilot is a girl. A girl. And Maddie thinks logically to herself that since she’s never crashed her motorbike, surely she can fly an airplane. The crashed pilot, Dympna Wythenshawe, helps her pilot interests along. Her flying skills take a nosedive when she’s stationed as a licensed radio operator during the war. But not for always. She eventually finds herself in the air again, even running secret missions. All professionalism. No conversation. Until she crosses paths with Julie again. There is something great about spending time with one’s best friend. But how extra awful it is when they’re separated. Especially when Maddie doesn’t know where Julie is.

            This book is TOO MUCH. It is heartbreaking, sad, dangerous, horrible, powerful and wonderful. It is historical fiction personified. The research is apparent, yet it’s blended with the fictional writing so seamlessly. The plot is complex, the narrative is gripping, and the fear is almost tangible. “Code Name Verity” is a captivating-thriller-of-a-historical-young-adult novel. It is also a story of friendship and bravery and courage. It is a multi-layered story that is certainly not for the faint of heart. I highly recommend that you read this account of Verity and Kittyhawk. For they are a sensational team.