In 1940, Frankie Bard, 'girl reporter', was reporting from London, alongside Edward R. Murrow. The U.S. had not yet entered the war. Among those listening were the residents of a small town on Cape Cod. Iris is the postmaster in Franklin and takes her job of delivering the mail very seriously.. Will is the local physician and Emma is his new bride.
Frankie feels that the real story is not being reported on; nothing is being said about Jews being forced to leave their homes. Her journalist friend, Harriet Mendelsohn, receives letters from Jewish relatives telling her some of what is going on. Then Harriet is killed during one of the bombing raids from the Nazis and Frankie tries to find ways to tell their stories. The author expertly conveys the fear and uncertainty of Americans worried that their sons will be sent off to war, and their limited knowledge of what is happening to the Jews in Europe.
Back in Franklin, Will loses a mother during childbirth, and after listening to Frankie on the radio, decides he can be more help working in hospitals in London. Emma thinks he is going out of guilt for something that wasn't his fault, but she lets him go. She doesn't tell him that she is pregnant. Will asks Iris to hold a letter for him, to give to Emma if he is killed, knowing Iris will watch over her.
Several months later, Iris is sorting the mail and does the unthinkable. She opens a letter, reads it, and decides not to send it on. In London, Frankie gets permission to go to France and rides the trains recording the stories of the various people fleeing Germany and France.
Frankie's journey eventually leads her to Franklin, with another letter in her pocket that she has vowed to deliver.
Sarah Blake's book is beautifully written and has successfully captured life in small town America at the start of the Second World War. I would definitely recommend this one.
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