LIT REVIEW: Helen Humphreys' Coventry

POSTED: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 5:15 PM

Filed Under: Arts Books

W.W. Norton, 192 pp.,
$23.95, Feb. 9

For the oft-tread territory of World War II, Helen Humphreys has the wisdom to limit the scope of her novel Coventry to create a more focused and intimate portrait. Humphreys is careful not to overload the readers with technical information on the war, instead focusing on the human elements of it, such as giving up certain imports and growing war gardens. Though the narrative spans from 1914 to 1962, the bulk of the novel is dedicated to a single date: November 14, 1940, the day of a devastating air raid on Coventry, Britain.

The action is revealed through the perspectives of two women, Harriet and Maeve, who had randomly crossed paths many years before the bombing. While Harriet's self-absorption in a chaotic situation is understandable, she becomes a character the readers can relate to, but not one they would likely want to empathize with. Maeve, a concerned mother, is the more sympathetic of the two, though most of her action occurs in the past through fragmented flashbacks. The more interesting characters inhabit the periphery of the drama, people scraping together semblances of sanity and normal life in light of tragedy.

By collecting together small moments of chaos, Humphreys achieves a stirring, believable portrait of the real cost of war. Unfortunately, though, she often fails to provide any real depth behind her poetic words, leaving the reader disturbed but not particularly emotionally satisfied.

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