When I purchased Code Name Verity, I actually did not know I was purchasing it — it came wrapped in pretty wrapping paper with a note on it that said, “Read This Book If You Have Enjoyed: The Book Thief, We Were Liars and Gone Girl” (for anyone who’s wondering, this adorable gift was from Book Culture in NYC! Check out my pictures, attached). But, I am so glad that I came across Code Name Verity. It is novels that makes you cry out of both love and heartbreak. So prepare some tissues, and get comfy; you’re in for quite the ride. Code Name Verity is a twisted version of your classic best-friends story. It follows the friendship between two girls, one British and the other Scottish, during World War II. When one of the friends is captured by the Gestapo, she is forced to either reveal her mission or face execution.
The mission that “Verity” reveals to the Gestapo is, in essence, the story. Through her recollections, readers learn more about the two friends and their relationship, while Verity, in turn, learns more about herself.
As a reader, it tore me apart to hear a young girl — who now is living in a tiny jail cell under crude conditions — reminisce about times spent with her best friend. There’s just something about an author evoking memories that pulls heartstrings. It’s different from simply describing the present, because the past, whether it was good or bad, universally invokes nostalgia and melancholy. We all know it and have felt it. I don’t think I’ve ever once thought about moments from my past without missing some aspect of it. Likewise, witnessing Verity as she goes through this very experience from inside of a jail cell is just such a raw human moment. I don’t think there’s any way not to feel the heartbreak of it.
Code Name Verity, in this sense, is tragic. But I want to end this review with something else. Code Name Verity is also beautiful and empowering. It’s a rare YA novel that centers around female friendship and power — not romance (which is minimal), the cute boy next door, the new love interest. And that, I believe, is the core of this book. Throughout the novel, Wein incorporates many allusions, most of which I didn’t understand. (Actually, the sheer abundance of mature allusions makes me think that perhaps I am not yet knowledgeable enough to enjoy the full fruit of the book. I’d love to read the book again when I’m older and see if I can get even more from it.) But, I do understand the frequent allusions to Peter Pan, and they are the ultimate representation of what I will remember most from this book. It is an intelligent, down-to-earth, raw story about female friendship and its power. It is quite like finding Neverland.
Leave a Comment!
