Review: The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies

It's a close June night in the Welsh hills, taut with the threat of tunder, and the radios of the village cough with static. The Quarryman's Arms, with the tallest aerial for miles around, is a scrum of bodies, all waiting to hear Churchill's broadcast. [pg 23]

The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
Mariner Books, 2007
Fiction; 338 pgs


Peter Ho Davies’ The Welsh Girl opens and closes with Rotheram’s story. He was raised by his mother, a German Lutheran, his Jewish father having died when he was young. He never quite fit in while growing up in Germany—he technically was not Jewish being that his mother was a Christian but the Germans classified him as a Jew because of his father’s heritage. The ambiguity this caused would have an impact on the man he would eventually become.

It was 1941 when Rotheram, now in the British Army, was sent to Wales in the United Kingdom to interrogate Rudolf Hess, Deputy Furher of the Third Reich. Hess had traveled to England near the beginning of the war and claimed amnesia over the events that took place in Germany before that time. He denied any recollection of his part in the war. Rotheram was assigned the task of determining whether or not Hess was competent to stand trial for war crimes. Rotheram and Hess are but a small part of the novel. They provide an anchor of sorts for the story of Karsten, Esther and Jim.

Esther is a seventeen year old barmaid, working at a local pub. The Welsh sit on one side of the bar while the British soldiers sit on the other. There is an old animosity between the two groups, an ancient disdain for one another that has been carried down for generations. World War II is underway and the soldiers are part of a construction detail. While at first the nature of their project is kept a secret, it soon becomes clear that it will be a camp for prisoners of the war.

Esther is so innocent. Her mother died when she was young and she was raised by her father, a proud Welsh man who holds tightly to his roots. She is a farm girl, raised on a sheep farm. Esther is well read, her English better than most in the town, but there is so much in the world she does not yet know. Her romance with a young British soldier goes horribly wrong, and she ends up suffering the consequences, her world irrevocably changed. She blames herself for things that she had little to no control over. She wraps herself in her blame and guilt, closing out those around her, sure they will not understand. She keeps her secrets hidden, fearing what others will think.

It was common practice during wartime for the British to send their children to the countryside, in the hopes that they would be safer there, away from the bombings and fighting. Jim was one such evacuee. Esther takes Jim in and tries what she can to get close to him. However, Jim is angry and mistrusting and not so easy to reach. Jim is resourceful though and resilient. Even though he is the butt of many jokes by the boys he calls friends, he never gives up trying to fit in and prove himself. Try as he might not to show he needs anyone, Jim craves the love and attention of a man. He once had that in Rhys, a local boy who had gone off to war. Now Jim feels alone and lost.

Meanwhile, on the coast of France, Karsten, a corporal in the German Army, is trapped in a bunker with two of his fellow soldiers, one his superior and the other a young boy who lied about his age to fight in the war. Karsten is the only one of the two who speaks English. At the insistence of his commanding officer, Karsten surrenders to the British on the beach. He is now a prisoner of war.

Karsten saw much during his childhood, his mother raising him on her own after his father died at sea. She ran an inn and Karsten often would help her. He learned about the world and about people during his early years. He went off to war hoping to be like his father. He is thoughtful, a bit of an outsider, never quite fitting in with the others. Karsten feels guilty and ashamed for surrendering to the enemy. He is mocked for it by his fellow prisoners.

Esther, Jim and Karsten could not be more different. And yet, they are very much alike. Each outcasts. Each with doubts and fears, struggling to survive as best they can. As their stories come together, the three characters find in each other a part of what they’ve been missing. There is a comfort in that but also a great danger.

The Welsh Girl is one of those books that sneaks up on you. It begins slowly as the author sets up the story, introduces the characters, and takes his time before bringing them together at the midway point.

The Welsh Girl is a character driven book. The characters are simple in some ways, but complex in others. The Welsh countryside itself is a strong part of the story. The Welsh culture, the conflict with the British, the history and strong roots of the land and people all building a strong foundation for the novel. It was interesting to read how the relationships between the different ethnic groups played out. That between the British and the Welsh often times ran hot and cold. And it was similar with the Germans. And what of the Jew who kept his real heritage a secret from those around him?

The author did quite a bit of research for his novel, including investigating the history of prisoner of war camps both in the United States and in the United Kingdom. He offered a glimpse at how the Germans imprisoned felt, the strong sense of patriotism that remained and kept them going, the hope they shared and the fears they would not speak about. Camp life was dull and repetitive. The confinement was stifling.

Hess is the only character in the novel based on a real person. Rudolf Hess did in fact exist, and, while the author took liberties in creating the story around him, his fate and the basic outline of his story are based in fact.

The Welsh Girl touches on several different themes: nationalism, loyalty, and the meaning of freedom among them. Each of the characters, including Rotheram, grows in the course of the novel, their experiences shaping them. Peter Ho Davies’ has written a novel that offers much food for thought. It is enjoyable and well worth reading.

Rating: (Good +)


Challenge Commitment Fulfilled: War Through the Generations: WWII Challenge

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