potent realism in day by day descriptions to tell the story of one
girl's transition to womanhood in the "greatest generation." The Girls
They Left Behind tells about a young Canadian girl named Beryl who has
to sit and watch friend after friend depart from Union Station to go off
to war, leaving her behind. When even her cousin Carmen leaves, Beryl
decides to move on with her life, and stand silently waving goodbye at
the train station no longer. Changing her name to Natalie (deciding her
other name is "not fit to print"), she gets a job helping the war
effort. The things she learns from her correspondence with her "war
boys" and daily life with others "they left behind" make up the heart
and soul of this novel.
Tiny details like descriptions of blackout curtains, buying of war
bonds, and letters that arrive unreadable because of censoring provide
realistic descriptions of civilian life in wartime; while other details
also keep the story rooted in the forties, like when Beryl (oops,
Natalie) has to wash her hair with Sunlight and vinegar because of
shampoo rationings, or only buy food with certain kinds of ration
stamps, or when she and her friends paint their legs with bronzers and
draw a line up the back of their legs when they can't afford to buy
pantyhose stockings.
But the book isn't just a period piece. The story it tells of love and
sacrifice and family is one just as important as any war novel about the
heroism of soldiers in battle. While it may be directed to an audience
primarily of girls rather than boys, it doesn't mean that anyone
couldn't enjoy this easy-to-read, difficult-to-put-down story based on
true events. I would recommend it as a good coming of age novel, and
wouldn't be surprised to see it on teachers' lists to be used as a
jumping off point for study about the Second World War. At not even 200
pages it is an easy read, but with a meaningful sentiment that is
difficult to forget.
By: B.S.
