Reviews: Pieces of Me (3)

What a powerful and moving read!

We all think we know what war is like, how families are separated and how families must have to cope when their loved ones go away. But this story was particularly interesting as you got to experience the emotions and feelings of a woman who met her husband in a war zone and then became the person he left when he went back to war without her. It’s always worse when you are the one left behind – even if you’re just travelling or moving away it’s always harder for those who stay behind. Add to that the overwhelming knowledge of the dangers of a war zone and…well this is quite the emotional tug on the heartstrings!

I felt very close to Emma in the novel and felt her pain even though I’ve never been to a war zone. She was strong and confidant but knew too much of the dangers her husband would be in. Interesting that she became the helpless, emotional person in a constant state of flux and feeling displaced when she was the one helping displaced refugees in Iraq

So important a read on so many levels. Emotional is not the word!

“At night he treads the streets of Baghdad”. This is a book of the pain of loss in many ways. It is also about memories that run concurrently with current events. It is about the parts of oneself that contribute to life, the memories, good and bad, which can and ought to be built up in a picture of self. This is a book of an international relationship with many happy memories and aspects, yet also with longing for places and people far away. It is a novel only possible in the age of the internet as characters find out what is going on, as well as communicate with each other. This is a modern book in some ways, with international concerns, but also a book of old emotional truths.
Emma works in the International zone in Baghdad as an administrator alongside American armed forces personnel. While she has her friend Anna, she like the other expats live life to a routine supposed to maintain their safety. Emma’s job is especially emotionally demanding as she interviews those who feel themselves in danger and are seeking urgent sanctuary in the U.S. She meets Adam, and we are told of their romance built on a desire to arrange the exit of certain individuals. Not that we are told in a linear narrative; we learn of Adam and Emma’s marriage and new life in Colorado as she describes her concern at the Army Unit’s imminent deployment back to Iraq. Being British, she feels lonely and without purpose when Adam departs, and she finds friendship with refugees from several countries. She will need all her resources to cope with events and emotions when trying circumstances come, and she must discover how to put the pieces together for herself.
This is a novel which achieve memory and current events and emotions simultaneously, with cleverly dropped hints about what happened and what might emerge. Emma is a real person telling her story and the stories of those around her powerfully and honestly. The writing flows beautifully, and I was drawn into two worlds; of Colorado and the reality of military families, as the constant draw of Iraq dominates despite fear and danger. This is a novel of both people and place, as real characters are seen in the two settings of America and Iraq. It shows how old griefs and regrets can shape our present and future, even if they are based many thousands of miles away. Real danger is presented in a far from glamorous way, when incoming bombs cause a familiar yet terrifying reaction. It is a novel of powerful imagination on several levels, as the writer imagines a whole world in many places, as well as Emma imagining possible events on the basis of her experience. Emma, Anna, Kate and other women become real as several men struggle, fathers, husbands and lovers emerge as less able to survive. I found this an incredibly powerful and timely novel, with much to admire in its portrayal of people, place and memory.

If you haven’t read this book, do it now. An absolutely beautiful but heart-breaking debut novel. I picked this up randomly in Waterstones and I’m so glad I did, it’s one of the best things I’ve read this year and I don’t know why I haven’t come across it sooner.

Pieces of Me introduces us to its protagonists Emma and Adam, as the latter prepares for deployment in Iraq. For many of us, Iraq is a place we associate with war, but for Emma it holds a lot of special memories, not only the place she worked, but also as the place she fell in love. Told in three parts: pre-deployment, deployment and post-deployment, Hart takes us on journey of love and loss, opening our eyes to how the conflict of war impacts on the lives of those involved.

What is perhaps most beautiful about this tale is the way in which Hart pieces together the experiences of different people affected by the war regardless of whether they’re British, American or Iraqi. The author also captures an Iraq that is so different to the portrayal we’re shown by the media; it’s one of light, love and happiness and it truly opened my eyes to the complex nature of war.

There is an underlying message of strength and community running through this book, particularly on the part of the women which makes it even more compelling. I fell in love with Emma and the style of writing made me feel as if I knew her.

This book will stay with me forever and it’s definitely one I would read again and again. Rumour is, Natalie is writing her second novel and I cannot wait!