Loghan Paylor
Historical Fantasy | 2024 385 Pages
💚💚💚
This is the story of Katherine (Kit) and Rebekah who meet as pre-teens just before WWII. It’s a story of love and separation. I truly loved this book.Â
So why only 3 hearts? The writing is superb, the characters rich, the story captivating… but implausible. Kit, disappointed in love, runs away to join the Canadian Royal Air Force at age 16 using identification papers taken from a young male. Kit subsequently becomes a flight navigator flying bomber combat missions over Germany. What I never understood was how Kit could pass the physical exam as a male, and later coexist in an all male army barracks without being discovered. After all, women were not allowed to fly combat missions in the Royal Air Force.
This book, written by a queer trans author, was a bit of an education for me. I really struggled with the use of the pronouns they/them when referring to Kit. In one moment the pronoun they was a reference to Kit. In the next it could be referring to Kit and Rebekah.Â
All that aside, I highly recommend this book.
Additional note: Andrea ordered this book and it arrived in the mail the very day she would pass away. She never got the chance to read it. I may not have chosen this book myself, but it called to me under the circumstances.Â
I heard part of an interview with the author of this book on the CBC this summer. After reading the book, I recommended it to Andrea. Brian, I appreciate you taking the time to read and make a blog entry. I was looking forward to discussing this one with Andrea.
I agree with your comments on this book. In my reading journal, I labeled this “insight fiction.” It provided me some understanding of what it would be like to grow up not fitting into the norms expected of the gender assigned at birth.
I am not sure who has written this review of The Cure for Drowning). Presumably Brian? or a good friend of Andrea’s. In any case, I was so sad to read the ‘Additional Note’ saying that Andrea has passed away.
Please know that my heart is sad for all of you who loved her and will miss her deeply and I send you all deep sympathy from Canada. I knew that Andrea had been very sick for some time, as we kept in touch over the years, so I know she lived every day to the fullest while she could.
Hi Marcia, Yes this is Brian and yes, my heart is broken.