The Chalky Sea

July 2, 2018
Flynn’s memorable historical novel takes readers back to early World War II, from the farmlands of Canada to a seaside town in England, as two damaged souls are changed forever by a chance meeting. Canadian farmer Jim Armstrong joins the army after his fiancée jilts him for his brother, Walt. In the English town of Eastbourne, Gwen Collingwood’s privileged life changes when her husband, Roger, goes off to war and her housekeeper leaves. Gwen, a member of the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service who translates German radio communications, also takes in boarders and discovers that her uptight notions of propriety have no place in wartime. Gwen’s purpose-filled life translating the communications is disrupted when she loses her position to Jim, who is also billeted at her home. She and Jim become closer even as they know their wartime romance is fleeting, and they both discover a love that helps heal wounds of the past. Flynn’s novel is a vivid page-turner that depicts the destruction of war, but it is most notable for its portrayal of the effects it has on individual lives.