The Breaking Wave - Nevil Shute (Book)

The Breaking Wave - Nevil Shute.

Also known as "Requiem For A Wren" is my second Nevil Shute book and twice in a row, I have fallen in love not only with his superb love stories, totally awesome strong women but with Australia too. Also, it became one of those very few books which I finished in flat 48 hours, talking about gripping stories, this was one of the best based around second world war and its repercussions on a family. Also the story of two brothers took me back in time couple of years and made me miss my own little brother who will go to any extent just to make one evening I spend with him more beautiful. On my way to a family emergency, I called my brother and told him that I may drop by for a night to our home-town. He threw out everything off the refrigerator, much to the shock and amazement of our sister in law and filled it up totally with Beer :). My friend who drove with me as we had to come back non-stop, my brother, and our immediate neighbor (now my father in law), we all got drunk that night, walked around the block in drunken state, had our dinner somewhere and no idea who woke up where next morning, as we had to push out very early in the morning. The friend who joined me on this adventure now co-incidentally an Australian Citizen, where this story takes place and hence the memory. Hope I get to meet them again in this life time and we all get drunk yet again to have a beautiful evening, a memory of a life time.

Going by the title and its amazingly beautiful cover, two lovers kissing with Guns and a Naval ship in the background was totally unexpected but beautiful story. Also, before I forget, let me tell you that this is I guess second book in a long long time which actually made me super emotional and tears actually rolled down my eyes with a huge lump in my throat almost the size of a basketball :). Terrific story of two brothers from outskirts of Australia, the town of Coombargana (which I will never be able to forget now) where they own thousands of a acres of land and sheep farms. One of them a pilot in air force where as the other becomes a marine. Their paths cross during the war near Normandy, where the one who meets the love of his life during the course of war, loses his life and other loses both his legs. The strong girl who serves in war as a wren in-charge of ordinance, is the the character to watch out for. Imagine all that happens in the very first chapter and the story goes in flashback when one of the brother returns back home for good after so many years and realizes that his parents life is in ruins. They have their own struggles and a dead housemaid to take care of, who commits suicide on the day he returns, what is the cross connection? Read the book to find out.

As I said this was my second Nevil Shute book and what amazed me again is that in both the books, his women characters are super strong and totally amazing. You've got to read this book to know what she does in Army and how. Imagine a broad shouldered girl with a square face who claims she isn't much of a beauty but what she does with Guns is something everybody watches with their eyes popping out. One unfortunate mistake in the course of the war for which she is never blamed by anyone changes her life for good. Where that episode leads her and how it all ruins her life to no repair is the story is all about. Heart-breaking yet a emotional roller coaster ride of the three amazing characters and their friends and family is totally out of this world experience. Nevil Shute's stories are totally smooth and his narrative is just so gripping yet simple that I found the book to be totally unputdownable as my heart kept asking me to go forward and solve the riddle. Plus I wanted to race to the end to know how it all ends. As I said it was one of the most emotional stories that I ever read, it is very tough to point out the moments it made me super emotional. The entire journey of one brother to find his dead brother's lover touched me deep inside, every-time his search fails, my heart cried out. Also the girls struggle after her loss and after so many deaths, the point where she finally loses something which makes her cry for the first time was the moment my tears just rolled out, unable to control the barrage. Wow, that was just wow moment and I feel totally out of words to explain why and what I felt at that moment. If you read the book, you will certainly know and agree with me on that.

Have you read The Breaking Wave? do let me know how you find it and if you haven't read it, you've got to read it and you just can't miss it at any cost, trust me on that. Also, do let me know if you have a favorite Nevil Shute book, I am surely looking forward to more of his works.