Norway, 1942. War rages and operation Shetland bus is in full swing. Under cover of darkness, Rumi Orlstad and other locals smuggle British agents, fugitives and supplies across the North Sea to the relative safety of Scotland.
But when one mission goes awry, and Rumi’s fiancé is lost to the dangerous waters, she retreats from the clandestine group, vowing never to take to the seas again.
Meanwhile, her childhood friend Anya has been placed in Lebensborn, one of Himmler’s secret Aryan maternity camps. And when Rumi learns the fate of Anya’s child, she knows she has no choice but to face her fears and help Anya flee from Nazi grip.
Over the past few years, Mandy Robotham has carved out a name for herself in the popular WWII historical fiction genre. Her previous bestsellers, The German Midwife and The Berlin Girl, have been embraced by BR readers, both for their enthralling storylines and strong, gutsy heroines. Now she returns with The Resistance Girl, a heartbreaking tale of the sacrifices ordinary people made to keep family, friends, strangers and hope alive.
What sets Robotham’s fiction apart from similar works in this genre is her exploration of unique subject matter. The Resistance Girl is set in Norway during WWII and examines the acute suffering these people felt under German occupation – a little known part of WWII history. Prized for their blue eyes and blonde hair, the Germans essentially attempted to colonise the Norwegians. Enter Rumi, her family and the rest of the Norwegian Resistance, all ordinary people who refused to meekly sit back and let the Germans take over their country. Theirs is an inspiring story that pays homage to the courage and sacrifice of Norwegian Resistance fighters.
Robotham also examines the Lebensborn, a programme that placed mothers and children in maternity homes in an attempt to raise the birth rate of Aryan children. Through meticulous research and vivid detail, Robotham examines the horrors of this programme which saw many Norwegian mothers separated from their children, who were trafficked for their ‘Aryan’ blood.
Gripping, suspenseful and unputdownable, The Resistance Girl is an unforgettable story that offers an entirely new perspective of WWII. If you enjoyed The German Midwife and The Berlin Girl, you won’t want to miss this.
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