Ada was born with a club foot and it was never repaired. Her abusive mother keeps her locked up in their apartment, calling her a monster because of her ugly foot. When Ada’s little brother Jamie has the opportunity to be evacuated into the country to escape the bombs of an imminent World War II, Ada sneaks away with him.
They are delivered to Oxford-educated Susan and her large, clean, country house. It’s a completely different world for the children—a world with baths, new clothing (including their very first underwear), food, and green grass. And even though it’s an enormous improvement over their home, it’s unfamiliar, and they find themselves overwhelmed and homesick. Ada struggles with the effects of her cruel upbringing. Kindness and acceptance are unfamiliar to her, and sometimes her panic and fear overwhelm her. She finds solace in Susan’s pony, Butter. Susan herself finds it difficult to care for the children, as she is suffering a deep depression after the loss of Becky, the woman she lived with and loved (the true nature of their relationship is for readers to decipher between the lines). The children do not see depression, but a woman who stays in bed all day long, sometimes mutters about not wanting or asking for children, and declares herself to be “not nice.”
Set against the backdrop of an escalating World War II, all three of them start to heal as they care for and come to love one another.
There are so many elements that I found interesting on their own, and they all came together to tell this lovely story. Living in Kent, the war touches their lives in real and oftentimes dramatic ways. The therapeutic comfort of working with horses rang true (I loved hearing things like when Ada feels a “whoosh of breath on [her] neck” ♥) Jamie also has his own challenges to overcome. I loved the authenticity of it all. Each of them finds meaning and purpose as they go beyond their insular worlds to care for one another and get involved in the war effort. Ada’s troubles are not fixed with a simple hug. She suffers long term effects from her mother’s abuse that take time and effort to overcome. And yet, Ada is as instrumental in saving Susan, as Susan is in saving her.
To top it off, this was one of those books that is wonderfully easy to read. I just opened it up and fell into it. And that was that. Before I knew it, it was over. I loved this one!
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