22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

22 Britannia Road is about a family trying to put itself back together after World War II. Silvana and Janusz find themselves caught up in a whirlwind love affair, resulting in a pregnancy and marriage. A few short months later, their son Aurek arrives and Janusz leaves to fight for Poland. Silvana and Aurek are forced to leave Warsaw when the German Army comes and are forced to survive in the woods, where they encounter strangers who are helping hands and see indescribable horrors. Meanwhile Janusz's military unit is bombarded by the Germans and he flees to France. The book chronicles their lives as they fight to survive the war and their eventual reunion. After being reunited, Silvana and Janusz must come to terms with the past and struggle to create a new life in a new country.

I have to say that I was underwhelmed by this book, but I can't put my finger on exactly why that is. The book was well written and the story certainly contained some twists that I did not expect. I think the author did an excellent job of portraying the changing effects of war and how these families were torn apart. It's amazing that anything can be rebuilt after such destruction.The experiences of the characters during the war were certainly compelling.

I think, for me, there was something lacking in the emotions of the story. The characters often felt stiff and I feel like there was so much more potential there. These characters really could have shined. The war clearly changed them and they had their own world of pain and secrets. I kept waiting for them to come alive, but for me they didn't. They lacked a real feeling of humanity, of relatability. I was not able to form an emotional connection with these characters and it left me disappointed and wanting. The book is well written, but it is not a story that I will probably remember a month from now.