Code Name Hélène: A Novel

I feel rendered speechless by the story of Nancy Wake, easily one of the most remarkable people in history. To learn which parts of this historical fiction novel is true is mind-boggling; I won’t say more along those lines to avoid spoilers. If you don’t know Nancy’s story, do yourself a favor and read Ariel Lawhon’s book now, right away, and do NOT read the author’s notes at the end before you do. Also, do NOT make the mistake of consulting Wikipedia or Google before you finish the novel like I did. Read her story as Lawhon has let it unfold, and you will not be sorry.

Nancy was an expatriate from New Zealand who moved to France at a young age. She fell in love with a wealthy Frenchman and made France her home. Her fairytale life was interrupted as World War II began. She helped smuggle documents and people, and then joined the French resistance. As the Gestapo’s most wanted person, she eventually had to escape France to avoid capture. She returned to London, trained with the Special Operations Executive, and became a secret agent and saboteur.

There are heart-wrenching events and circumstances in this story, as you would expect in a novel set against the backdrop of World War II. There is one scene in particular that was absolutely horrific; it’s one of the worst things I can possibly imagine as a mother, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I almost stopped reading at that point. I’m ultimately glad I didn’t, but I still wish that I could have skipped that part. Just know that there are a couple disturbing scenes, and decide accordingly whether you want to read this.

The author mentions in the afterword the bad language throughout the book. It was authentic with regard to the person Nancy Wake was, and I respect Lawhon for including language that is authentic. If bad language would have you clutching your pearls, maybe skip this book, but know that you are truly missing out.

Overall, this is an amazing rendering of the story of an amazing woman. It’s incredible, the ordinary and extraordinary bravery of human beings to persist in the face of, and fight against, the terrible atrocities that other human beings commit. I am glad to know Nancy’s story.

I downloaded this book some time ago and had forgotten that it was based on a real person, so I was amazed when I finished it and read that it was. The book was incredibly well written. At one point, I started wondering if it was a romance novel (which I do not read) but it turned out there was just a beautifully romantic segment to the story. When I read a book that jumps around in time like this, I often wonder if it would have been better if it had just been told chronologically, but I suppose the skipping around keeps you guessing more. At any rate, this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I loved and admired the main character Nancy. She was definitely one of a kind. A must read for fans of historical fiction!

By the author’s admission the character who was so unrealistic, hateful and a vision of the worst female character one could imagine was created by her. Sadly her spiteful manner and later evil behavior shifts the true blame of the death of Henri from the political death it was to a jealous woman. Much of her behavior is unhinged and unbelievable. The actual life of Nancy Wake is fantastic and told in a worthy manner.