City News

In Elizabeth Wein’s young adult novel Code Name Verity, a British Lysander spy plane, with a spy named Verity, and her best friend Maddie as the pilot onboard, crashes into the Nazi-occupied teritory of Ormanie on  a fateful day in 1943, where Verity is captured by Nazi officers, then threatened and tortured into giving a written recollection of her experiences as a wireless operator in World War I. SS-Hauptsturmführer Amadeus von Linden, the evil man behind Verity’s interrogation, also employs a woman, Fräulein Anna Engel, to translate Verity’s writings from English into German. Verity’s recollection details how her friendship with Maddie started, the ordeals they faced together, and how she first entered France; she sprinkles in hints about where she is held prisoner. During the weeks Verity is held captive, Maddie desperately tries to find her, ending up at a French family’s house that hides dark secrets. Will Maddie be able to save Verity in time, or will there be a tragic turn of events predetermined by fate?

A heartbreaking account of trust and bravery, Code Name Verity explores the history of World War I, told from a more personal side: Verity eloquently recalls the blossoming of her friendship with Maddie, wistfully recounting how they met and the experiences that bonded them together. Through Wein’s clever narration, the reader is easily thrust into the perspectives of Verity and Maddie, as the book is told from both their points of view. Although the two women have been separated, they are united in their goals to find each other, as their fates are intertwined, eternally.

An interesting element incorporated into the book was the abundance of historical information; Verity wrote her experiences working with different types of World War II planes as well as explaining her job as a wireless operator, a dangerous job that has an extremely high mortality rate, as many people die or are imprisoned while working in the field. Maddie, meanwhile, is a pilot, and faces her own struggles as a female working in a particularly male-dominated field; Wein includes themes of empowerment and encourages everyone to follow their dreams regardless of any circumstances that may be holding them back. Throughout the novel, Verity and Maddie navigate their tumultuous world while learning to deal with their shortcomings, understanding that their imperfections do not limit nor define them.

Those who enjoy historical fiction should read Code Name Verity; although the exposition of the book can be, at times, somewhat confusing due to the technical historical terms, the rest of the book is masterfully crafted, each small element contributing to part of a larger, grander, tale. Furthermore, Code Name Verity serves as a wonderful model of friendship, showing that, even against all odds, true friends will do whatever it takes to reunite. Young adults particularly in middle school or entering high school absolutely must read Code Name Verity, as it is an iconic, devastating, yet moving novel that is sure to be remembered by readers for a long, long time.

Check out Code Name Verity from the Newport Beach Public Library!