Dancing With the Enemy

Diane Armstrong HarperCollins

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m sure it won’t be my last. It is a compelling story told over two timelines and held my attention right to the last page.

In 1940 Britain announces it won’t be sending troops to defend the Channel Island of Jersey against the Germans and suggests people leave their homes if they are able to. Dr

Hugh Jackson makes the decision to send his pregnant wife to England, while he remains to care for his patients – altering the course of his life.

In 2019 Xanthe Maxwell arrives from Sydney to do some soul searching. She isn’t sure if she wants to continue with her medical training and she’s exhausted from the gruelling hours she works. In the house she rents she finds a hidden diary, that of Dr Jackson’s, and becomes caught up in the daily adventures of the brave people of Jersey.

There are some brilliant characters whose stories are both heroic and terrifying. This is a beautifully written, poignant war story.