Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Verity #1

Over the past few years I have read my fair share of novels set during World War II including my absolute favorite Montmaray Journals, the splendid Salt to the Sea, and the “pull-on-your-heartstrings” Letters to the Lost. So when Sarah told me that if I read Code Name Verity it would break my heart like no other book, I was not going to read it. But I reconsidered, and armed with the knowledge of what would happen to each of the two main characters, I dove into the story and fell in love with all of it.

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Synopsis

Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it’s barely begun.

When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she’s sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

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Review

Laura’s Review

Let me just say I’m a little shocked that this book is stocked in the YA section of bookstores. I’m not sure I would have been able to handle reading this when I was in high school. The book is split into two distinct parts – the first is from “Verity’s” perspective, the second, from her best friend Maddie. “Verity” has been captured by the Gestapo after parachuting into Nazi-occupied France and looking the wrong way before crossing the street. She has been given the opportunity to write down her story and extend her life for as long as it takes to satisfy her Nazi jailers with the information she supplies. However, “Verity” chooses to tell them the story of Maddie, her best friend, and the pilot of the plane from which she parachuted.

“Verity” explains how the young women met, trained together, and became best friends. But as she tells that story, she also details the events and torture that transpire while she is held prisoner. It is a powerful tale, and while fictional, is likely to be the truth for somebody. The second part is Maddie’s story and what she has lived through during the time that “Verity” has been held prisoner. After crash-landing her plane, Maddie spends the next few months trying to escape from France and get back to England. However, when she learns of “Verity’s” fate, she decides her foremost goal is to help her friend. Both women face deadly obstacles, and the heart-breaking, nail-biting conclusion will leave you in a puddle of tears.

Code Name Verity is one of the best books I have ever read. I loved the characters and I experienced just about every emotion possible while reading this book. Personally, I preferred “Verity’s” part of the story more than Maddie’s, but it was all worth reading.

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Sarah’s Review

Elizabeth Wein has created a remarkable book – the tale of two girls, “Verity” and Maddie, with “Verity” telling the story of Maddie as the Gestapo interrogates her. The entire book is filled with twists and turns and clever side steps, many of which the reader is remarkably oblivious to until the tone completely shifts in the second half of the book. And to be perfectly honest, this is so well done that I simply do not want to ruin a single surprise by giving an in depth plot review, aside from to say it is superb, the likes of which I have not read for a decent length of time.

“Verity’s” story is written on scraps of paper, anything her interrogators can scrounge up for her, and when she is finished writing, she is to be terminated, regardless of what she puts on paper. She might as well tell the truth and that truth is open to interpretation, but nevertheless true. Instead of telling her story, she tells that of her best friend, Maddie, the pilot of the plane and the one who’s papers she’s carrying when she’s picked up for looking the wrong way when crossing the street. As such, her writing is flowing freely from the top of her head. If “Verity” was any less of a writer, it might not feel so concise. It is punctuated by outbursts she must have felt while writing and the situation she is in always presents itself as real and present danger. When her time limit is up and she asks for more time, you fear turning the page, only to find her story ended abruptly. “Verity” is brilliant and her story told with a deft and extremely capable hand. Don’t be fooled by the YA label, this is a poignant tale, worthy of even the most discerning adult readers.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

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