The Lines Between Us By Amy Lynn Green

The Lines Between Us

by Amy Lynn Green

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780764237171

After reading Amy Lynn Green's debut novel Things We Didn't Say, I absolutely HAD to get my hands on her second book. Trust me when I tell you, you do NOT want to miss this story! Bethany House sent me the book for review.

Summary:

A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience of the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women's Army Corps.

Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don't add up.  

A member of the Women's Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother's pacifism, but she's shocked by news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report . . . and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it's wrong to lie; she's willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.

My Review:

What an exceptional story! The prologue of The Lines Between Us plunged me into the story and soaked into my soul.

Having never considered conscientious objectors and what their "options" were in times of war, this story fascinated me. It's easy to understand how strongly people felt about those who they considered dodging their duty to the country in WWII. I appreciate how the author gives us a deeper look into what it might look like from the outside looking into the life of a conscientious objector - how they thought and felt about violence and war.

Gordon and Dorie had such deep convictions on war, and both of their perspectives will cause the reader to reflect on their own beliefs. I wasn't expecting the anger that goes along with personal beliefs, but it comes through loud and clear throughout the story. It's only natural so it was easy to understand both sides.

Can I just say that there was so much unexpected moments in the story. I think the reason why I loved the story so much is that it's not cookie-cutter. Almost right away, after Jack's accident, I started to come up with all kinds of ideas of what might have happened. How the author unfolds everything was so surprising. Just before halfway though the story, I had to hold myself back from turning to the end to find out all of the answers! The depth of the mystery was so unexpected, but I refrained from peeking.

It seemed like Dorie and Gordon came to know themselves so much better after Jack's accident. I loved seeing their growth and questioning their "heels dug in" beliefs. Is there a middle ground to their beliefs? Can they both be right and wrong about their positions? Those questions are fleshed out in the story!

About the Author:

Amy Lynn Green (www.amygreenbooks.com) is a publicist by day and a novelist on nights and weekends. History has always been one of her passions, and she loves speaking with book clubs, writing groups, and libraries all around the country. Her debut novel, Things We Didn't Say, was nominated for a 2021 Minnesota Book Award and received a starred review from both Booklist and Library Journal. Amy and her husband make their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.