TITLE: The Girls in Navy Blue
AUTHOR: Alix Rickloff
416 pages, William Morrow and Company, ISBN 9780063227491 (softcover, e-book, audiobook)
MY RATING: 4 stars out of 5
SHORT REVIEW: While there is a mystery, or more accurately several mysteries, at the core of The Girls in Navy Blue, it is mostly historical fiction, and more accurately early 20th century historical fiction. The book takes place in two distinctly different years: 1918, just after the United States has entered The Great War in Europe, and 1968, during the then-latest of the 20th century’s endless stream of global conflicts. Rickloff spools out and intertwines the mysteries at a near-perfect pace, neither rushing the reveals nor leaving the reader completely in the dark for too long, using each small reveal to build towards the novel’s dual climaxes. Along the way, we become invested in the four women at the center of the narrative. I’ll admit, I teared up a bit at the end.
LONGER REVIEW: I joined the monthly book club at my local bookstore (Sparta Books in Sparta, NJ) partially for socialization and partly to force myself to read outside of my habitual genres (science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery). The Girls in Navy Blue definitely fits that description. While there is a mystery, or more accurately several mysteries, at the core of the book, it is mostly historical fiction, a genre I am not very well-read in at all, and it is more accurately early 20th century historical fiction, which I’m even less well read in.
The Girls in Navy Blue actually takes place in two distinctly different years: 1918, just after the United States has entered The Great War in Europe, and 1968, during the then-latest of the 20th century’s endless stream of global conflicts. The action in both eras takes place in the same location: an oceanside cottage in Ocean View (although the 1918 chapters also take place on the grounds of the nearby Naval hospital and a few other places). In 1918, the cabin is inhabited by three women who have joined the Navy Yeomanettes to do their part for the war effort, each of whom carries a secret or burden that motivates them. In 1968, the house is occupied by the grand-niece of one of those women. Mysteries connect the years: why did Blanche leave the house to her estranged niece Peggy? What drove the housemates and friends apart in 1918? What secrets was housemate Viv harboring? And what tragedy is Peggy running from?
Rickloff spools out and intertwines the mysteries at a near-perfect pace, neither rushing the reveals nor leaving the reader completely in the dark for too long, using each small reveal to build towards the novel’s dual climaxes. Along the way, we become invested in the four women at the center of the narrative: Blanche, a strong-willed child of privilege who finds life full of unexpected challenges; Marjory, whose German surname means constantly having to prove her patriotism; mysterious Viv, finding her way free of her past; and Peggy, reeling from unimaginable loss and trying to find her new path. In both eras, the women cope with misogyny, restrictive societal expectations, and judgement by other women. Whether the author intended it or not, this book has a lot to say about how little progress we’ve made in some aspects of society if the reader takes the time to compare not just the 1918 scenes to the 1968 scenes but also both of those to our current year.
I also found the construction of the novel interesting. The 1918 scenes are narrated in first person by Viv, while the 1968 scenes are more of a limited omniscient POV centered on Peggy. I found it an effective way to further differentiate the eras, lend a different type of immediacy to each era, and help keep the reader in tune with when each chapter was occurring (chapter headings with the year and POV character name also helped).
And I’ll readily admit – I teared up a bit at the end of the novel when everything came together.