Read: October 2024 

Series: Even If, #1

Format: digital ARC

Challenge Prompt: CNL’s #45 of 50 - “set during WW2”

Book #110 of 2024: Even if We Cry has a very unique storyline that most will not know. I don’t recall if we ever learned it in school. (Some will know of the British Home Children that were moved abroad under a horrible, false pretence. That was something altogether different at an earlier point in history.). These “guest children” were intentionally sent by their parents to Canada and other countries on a temporary basis for protection from WW2. 

It is very rare to read a historical book that is set in Canada but it is even rarer to read books that take place in your prairie province of residence. Terrie Todd does impeccable research and I am grateful for all that I learned. 

The author paints pictures with her words. First we learn how it is to travel to Canada in risky, wartime waters by ship. They are then sent on to various provinces by train. All the feelings of unease, boredom, excitement, frustration, being homesick, having seasickness, etc. are conveyed in a variety of ways as though we are right there with them. Nina and her two siblings go to a rural area of Manitoba, which is in central Canada. Some go to an eastern province and others have many more days of traveling across the country. Some are placed clear over on the west coast of Canada. We experience the adjustments of a new country, new words & terms, a change of lifestyle with a farm, and fitting in. 

The Gabriel children are fortunate to be placed with kind and caring Wright Family, who we later learn had horrific losses of their own. Nina takes her promise of watching over her siblings very seriously, especially in the early months of settling in. The Wright’s eldest, a teen daughter, is not happy or welcoming at any point until years later in adulthood. The tension between her and Nina is palpable. 

Their journeys through school, friendship, crushes, adjustments, questions, etc. are partly relayed through an epistolary style of writing - letters, diary entries, telegrams, etc. It’s done in such a way that they are a part of the entire weaving of the novel. Even small details about differences amongst UK and Canadian English, milk being a common beverage, and the novelty of peanut butter lend to the authenticity of this novel. 

In the beginning of this story, I was incredulous that parents would send their children away to strangers across the ocean for an undetermined length of time. I wondered how they could not also fear the unknown aspect of this process. Can you trust who they are with? Will you get them back? Will it end up being a scheme like the British Home Children atrocity? In our current day, I just could not entrust my children to strangers. However, I definitely could understand them wanting to spare their children of the horrors of war, food rations, and the fear that lies in each day. I certainly cannot relate to living during wartime either. The fears would have been very difficult to handle daily. 

As the book went on, I could more clearly understand the British parents’ mindset. It was a huge sacrifice, one the families did not make lightly. I appreciated learning about this relatively unknown piece of history. 

The word that keeps coming to mind is that I *experienced* the story through the reading of it. I was with them on the ship and the train, at the farm, etc. As I progressed through the book. I could feel the emotions, doubts, fears, accomplishments, homesickness, successes, questions, etc. that the Guest Children went through, as well as both their parents & guardians on each side of the Atlantic. 

These children were amazingly resilient at a very difficult time in history with the Second World War. Being separated from their parents and having the years go by must have been a very disconcerting and helpless feeling at times. We read of their high points and their low points. We learn that not all children had such a loving placement family as the Gabriel children at the Wright Farm, but most adjusted very well. Many children kept in touch with each other far into adulthood and later reunited with visits. Amazing bonds transpired. 

The eventual healing and growth between Nina and the eldest Wright daughter was one of my favourite parts of the novel. Another was learning Mrs. Wright’s past that so profoundly influenced her life. 

The author has a natural gift for bringing the reader along for the journey. She is one of the best Christian historical fiction authors today. Her settings on Canadian soil make for a different perspective. As a Canadian, I greatly appreciate reading books that are set here. Readers from the countries that are typically written about will enjoy this fresh viewpoint. I strongly recommend this book without hesitation. I am anticipating the future novels in this series. 

[Added Note: Sometimes you can read an author and just know they will be an auto buy. That’s how I felt after reading my first one last year. I’m working my way through my Terrie Todd TBR pile! I was more than excited to be a part of reading an advanced copy for this novel! I was under no requirement to leave a positive review. My honest review is completely my own. My thanks to the author and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced copy. It is available for pre-order and it releases on December 05/24.]