When Love and War Collide: Read our Review of When the War Was Here by Roxanne Veletzos

When the War Was Here is an epic World War II tale of star-crossed lovers separated by class, circumstance and tragedy, from the bestselling author of The Girl They Left Behind.

Hungary 1943. As war encroaches on the country’s borders, wilful young Eva arrives in the idyllic town of Sopron to spend her last summer as a single woman on her aristocratic family’s estate. Longing for freedom from her domineering father, she counts the days to her upcoming nuptials to a kind and dedicated Red Cross doctor whom she greatly admires.

But Eva’s life changes when she meets Aleandro, a charming and passionate Romani fiddler with a love for painting. With time and profound class differences against them, Eva and Aleandro fall deeply in love – only to be separated by a brutal act of hatred.

As their lives diverge and they are each swept into the tides of war and its aftermath, they try to forget what they once shared. But as the years pass, the haunting memory of their romance will reshape their destinies and drive them to decisions that will change their lives forever.

From the horrors of World War II to the tensions of the 1956 Hungarian uprising and beyond, When the War Was Here is a stunning new novel about the toll of secrets, the blurred lines between desire and loyalty, sacrifice and obsession, and the endurance of the human spirit.

When the War Was Here is the definition of a sweeping story. I quickly found myself caught up in this historical novel, which begins in tumultuous war-torn Hungary in 1943 and journeys across the Atlantic to post WWII New York City. The story visits the most harrowing depths of Dachau concentration camp, revealing the often-unheard narrative of millions of persecuted Romani during WWII. Veletzos has carefully researched historic events and describes the horrors of the war with sensitivity. No matter how much WWII historical fiction I read, books like When the War Was Here always manage to deeply shock and move me.

The novel follows the lives of Eva and Aleandro, alternating between their perspectives. This is a captivating love story, and believe me when I say that it is heart-wrenching at times. If you’re a hopeless romantic like me, you’ll find yourself wishing that these star-crossed lovers, separated by oceans, social status, and circumstances, end up together.

Ultimately, When the War Was Here takes readers on a profound journey, revealing how hope and brighter futures emerged from the turmoil and devastation of WWII. This powerful love story captures the trials and tribulations of this historical period beautifully.