Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Summary: In WWII, Verity is working behind enemy lines. She is shot down while flying into France with her best friend Maddie and taken to be interrogated by the Nazis. Believing Maddie to be dead, and tortured inhumanly, Verity begins to give radio codes to the Nazis. While she is spilling secrets she's fighting to keep her biggest one, knowing her time is limited.

I haven't read a book which has effected me this hard in a long time. I must be honest here though, I didn't read the book but listened to it. I started to read it but the way it was written left my head spinning. (I believe it has to do with my dyslexia. The story moved from the present to the past, and I kept getting lost. I think I need a more straightforward telling. I get lost enough without the moving around. When I listened to the book though it all made sense and I couldn't turn the CDs off.) The readers Scottish accent helped too.

The story is heart wrenching, but there is just something about it. Maybe it's the best friend fact. I don't recall reading a story which focused so strongly on best friends before. Maddie and Julie - code name Verity - have one of the best friendships ever. You know a friendship is going to last when it is formed hiding in a bomb shelter under an umbrella.

Maddie and Julie, the two main characters in the story, are almost complete opposites. Maddie cries easily and is the more timid of the two. Julie is sure of herself and what she does. Together they could conquer the world. I loved their trust in each other, the way they were there for the other one, how they would do anything to keep each other safe. Their friendship ripped my heart out and left me lying in pain on the floor, but at the same time I felt kind of happy. Because it was a real friendship, and shown so well. Friendships are rare in stories now.

Of course, the book hurts. I was about ready to cry at the end but I hurt to badly to. Instead I went around, nearly shouting, "Kiss me, Hardy! KISS ME QUICK!" Every chance I got. The end of the book killed me, but I didn't feel mad about it like other books which have kind of the same endings. This one felt real, and not just thrown in to get the reader to cry. It killed me, but I didn't want to slap the Author at the end.

There is language in the book. Especially with Julie. And the torture Nazi prisoners went through is talked about. I wouldn't recommend the book to younger readers, but I do recommend it. In spite of all the pain, there is just something about this story. It's one that is going to stick with me forever, and I plan to read the sequel as soon as I can.