In a move that could feel contrived but only further elevates the work, Urrea bookends the wrenching narrative with a surprising discovery 50 years later. efforts advance, Irene fears she has lost Dorothy, who’s become like a sister, after they are separated in an accident eventually, she goes home to New York to rebuild a life marred with survivor’s guilt and shell shock. The two become fast friends while serving coffee and doughnuts and trying to comfort the soldiers, a nebulous task defined in the chaste terms of the day (they should act like a “big sister, girl next door, mom or sweetheart”). Tasked with high expectations-keep driving and keep smiling-Irene is sent to England alongside Dorothy Dunford, who, much like Irene, is looking for an escape from her life. Irene Woodward, a tough New Yorker, covers up the bruises received from her abusive fiancé with concealer and sweaters, throws her engagement ring down the drain, and joins America’s war effort as a member of the Red Cross Clubmobile. Little, Brown, $29 (336p) ISBN 978-5-0 Urrea ( The House of Broken Angels) transports readers to the Western Front of WWII in his stunning latest.
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